Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions
by Cowardly Werewolf
Summary: Street Fighter and Ranma crossover. Chapter 11: After the match between Kasugano Sakura and Rainbow Mika is resolved, Kotaishi Diro must face his rival, Vega. After a long wait, he finally has the opportunity to avenge the death of his grandfather.
1. Default Chapter

Sailor Moon: 

Interrupted Ambitions

A fan-fiction by:  Rocky A. Burton

All characters and themes contained herein belong to their respective creators

Chapter 1

"Oh my God!"  Diro yawned and stretched the limbs of his aching body.  "A twelve hour flight with the wind roaring into my right ear and a kid screaming into my left!  Ugh, somebody shoot me!"  He picked up his suitcase and made his way to the immigration desk.  "If I never fly in a plane again, it'll be too soon."

            With his free hand, he rubbed his stiff neck.  He had been looking forward to moving to Japan for years.  His grandparents, rather his foster parents, had been telling him stories of life in Tokyo for as long as he could remember.  His grandfather had countless tales of the time he spent training under Master Zeku; and many reports of Guy, the newest heir of the Bushin Style Ninjitsu.  Even as recent as two years ago his grandmother, Mitsuko, had gone to Tokyo and come back with some odd story about five beautiful girls called the Sailor Senshi and their dashing companion, Tuxedo Mask.  Diro didn't believe any of it, of course.  But it sounded like Japan was the place to be for adventure, and as long as he was here; he was more than ready to look into it.

            "You have papers?"  The man at the immigration desk asked in botched English.

            "Yeah, they're right here."  Diro answered, speaking near-perfect Japanese.

            Relieved to be talking to someone who knew his language, the immigration attendant looked over Diro's papers.  Once he deemed everything to his liking, he placed a copy of a document on the desk.  "Welcome to Japan, Mr. Kotaishi.  An elderly man, Mr. Hino, is waiting for you at the front entrance."

            "Thank you."  Diro bowed and picked up the document.  He lifted his large suitcase and went to where he was directed.

            In front of the airport's glass doors stood a small, elderly, Japanese man with a wide grin that stretched across his wrinkled face.  He tightened his tie and fixed his brown jacket before holding up a sign that, in kanji, read "Kotaishi."

            Lumbering under the weight of his luggage, Diro approached him.  "Excuse me, sir."  He said as he gingerly set down his suitcase.  "I am Diro Kotaishi.  Might you be Mr. Hino?"

            "Yes I am, but you can call me Grandpa if you like!"  His grin widened even further.

            "Very well."  Diro shook the old man's hand and bowed.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Grandpa.  Thank you for taking me in."

            "It's my pleasure young man!"  He reached up and grabbed Diro's wrist, causing him to lurch over to accommodate the old man's size.  "Come on, I'll take you to the temple!  Just wait until you meet my granddaughter, Rei.  And, you know, she has four friends, too.  Let's see, they are Ami, Minako, Makoto, and, uh, Usagi.  A handsome young man like you ought to do well with that bunch!  You remind me of myself when I was younger!"

            Diro smiled in modesty and allowed himself to be led by Grandpa Hino while he dragged his suitcase behind him.

            "Rei!  Wait up!"  She paused after hearing Usagi's voice call for her.

            The raven-haired senshi placed her hand on her hip and tapped her foot as she waited for her friends to catch up to her.  "What is it, meatball-head?  I'm kind of in a hurry.  Grandpa is taking in the grandson of an old friend and I want to get home to meet him!"

            "I know."  Usagi panted.  The girl wasn't used to running a lot, but had been forced to do so in order to close the distance between her and her friend.  "I want to meet him too, Rei!  Come on!  Take me with you!"

            "We all want to meet him, Rei."  Makoto said as she, Minako, and Ami casually strolled up to them.

            "Oh, I don't know."

            "C'mon Rei!"  Minako burst out.  "What's wrong?  Are you afraid that we'll seduce him before you get a chance to?"  She giggled and winked at her.

            Rei's face turned a shade of beet red.  "W-what are you talking about?  I would never do something like that!  Besides, I don't even know who he is or what he looks like!"

            Minako giggled again.  "Calm down, Rei!  I was only kidding!"

            Rei huffed and dismissed them with a wave of her hand.  "Fine, you can come."

            "Yay!"  Usagi squealed.  "Ooh, I just can't wait!  I wonder what he's like!  I'm gonna have to introduce him to Mamo-chan!  I'm so excited!  Can you imagine having a brand new friend from another country?"

            Ami stifled her giggle with the tips of her delicate fingers.  "Calm down, Usagi!  I'm sure Mamoru would love to meet this person!"  She rested her cheek on her hand.  "It must be scary for him to come here and leave everything he's accustomed to behind.  He must be a very strong person!"

            Minako clasped her hands and turned her face upward in a starry-eyed gaze to the heavens.  "I can see it now.  A strong, handsome prince from halfway across the planet has come to sweep me off my feet and hold me in his powerful yet gentle arms!"  Blushing, she wrapped herself within her own arms and allowed a lovelorn sigh to escape from her soft lips.

            An agitated twitch was apparent in Rei's eye.  "You've been reading too many romance novels."  She muttered.  "Come on, let's go already!"

            She turned on her heel and led the way to her temple.  After but a few minutes of hearing Usagi's incessant boasting on her relationship with Mamoru and the girlish antics of her other friends, Rei could no longer keep a straight face.

            The group of friends continued to discuss their curiosities and hopeful fantasies until their reverie was broken by a high-pitched, inhuman scream.  They fell back in shock and looked at each other with questioning eyes.

            "What on earth was that?"  Makoto asked after a brief moment of silence.

            "I don't know."  Rei closed her eyes and focused her ki.  She mentally scoured the surrounding area for any abnormality.

            "What is it Rei?"  Usagi asked.  Her hands were clasped before her as she stared at her friend.

            Rei looked back at her.  She caught herself gazing into the girl's bright blue eyes, which were filled with tears of concern and fearful anxiety.  She immediately broke the exchange and looked to the source of the disturbance.  "I don't know, Usagi.  It's…different."

            A loud, whip-like crack echoed through the air followed by a more human scream, the tone of which cut through the girls like a dagger.

            "Whatever it is, it's not good.  We need to check it out now!"  Makoto exclaimed and ran toward the scream's general direction, leaving her friends a good distance behind her.

            The others were hard-pressed in catching up to her, and only did so once she stopped.  Plastered upon her face was an expression of shock and disgust.  Following her gaze, the girls saw the mangled body of a blood-red goblin-esque creature.  A simple spear had been forced down its throat and protruded through its upper back.  They wretched at the sight of the abominable creature as it slid down the pole of the spear leaving a trail of black gel in its wake.

            "Oh my God!"  Minako exclaimed.

            Another creature, resembling the fallen one, noticed them and screamed a high-pitched war cry.  It rose from its work and called for its allies to do the same.  The four others stood up leaving a longhaired man lying facedown at their feet.  The first one screamed again and prepared to attack them.  It only took one step, however, before it fell to the ground.

            The man that had been attacked locked the creature's legs with his arms.  He strained to keep it under his control as he looked up at the girls.  They stared back at him in awe.  His soft face had been riddled with fresh wounds from the onslaught of these monsters.  He had long bangs that hid his left eye, but the fatigue of battle was evident in his scarred right one.

            The four other goblin monsters turned to him and began to kick and beat him as they had done previously.  Between the periods of his sharp exhalations, he managed to shout for the girls to run.  With his strength failing, he released the goblin he held.  As it scrambled to get to its feet, it kicked him in the head and he blacked out.

            Seeing the body go limp, Minako turned to Usagi.  "Usagi, now!"

            She nodded and placed her hand over her broche.  The other girls grabbed their respective transformation devices and focused their thoughts upon them.

            "Mercury Star Power!  Make UP!"

            "Mars Star Power!  Make UP!"

            "Jupiter Star Power!  Make UP!"

            "Venus Star Power!  Make UP!"

            Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako shouted the trigger to invoke their transformations.  A brilliant magical light emitted from their bodies as their individual elements swirled about them and bestowed upon them supernatural strengths and abilities.  The light grew to a blinding intensity, forcing the menacing creatures to shield their black eyes.  When the light faded, the girls set foot on the ground wearing the sailor-style garb of the sailor senshi.

            "Moon Cosmic Power!  Make UP!"  Usagi shouted as she ran her fingers over the crystal hidden within her broche.  A gorgeous pink light emitted from it and broke into ribbons, which engulfed her in magic.

            The ribbons of light surrounded her body and wove upon her a white tunic and a short blue skirt.  Doing the same for her hands and feet, Usagi donned long white gloves and red knee-high boots.  Her magical essence danced around her in the forms of stars and hearts.  A crystal appeared in the middle of her forehead, and from it, a tiara materialized.  In the final stage of her transformation, two ruby-red orbs imbedded themselves into the ball-shaped knots of hair at the top of her head.  Completely transformed, Sailor Moon placed her hand on her hip and posed in her classic stance.

            "How dare you attack this man?  What wrongs has he committed against you?  You vile creatures do not belong here!  I will send you back to where you came from in the name of love and justice!  The pretty soldier in a sailor suit, I am Sailor Moon!  In the name of the moon, I punish you!"

            The creatures shrieked in defiance of the senshi's challenge, stirring the man that lay at their feet.  He lifted his head and attempted to focus his blurry vision of the sight before him.  "Careful…their tongues…" He gripped his bleeding chest and fought to take in every painful breath he could.  "Run!"

            "What's he saying?"  Sailor Mercury asked while watching him writhe in pain.  She gasped and covered her mouth when she noticed the wound that ran across his chest.

            "It's probably just inane babble."  Jupiter replied.  "The poor guy's been beaten senseless!  We have to help him!"

            As she began to charge them, the five monsters dropped their jaws to waist level.  Jupiter stopped in her tracks.  Not knowing what to expect, she just stared at them.

            Shrieking a high-pitched war cry, the creatures launched from their mouths long, tongue-like tentacles.  Within a brief moment, Jupiter was bound at her limbs and was lifted from the ground by her throat.  She fought and struggled to get loose only to find her strength was waning.

            "Jupiter!"  Sailor mars cried.  She clasped her hands together and brought them to her forehead to focus her magic.  Flames encircled her as she shouted the trigger.  "Burning Mandala!"  Thin rings of fire materialized from the area around her and severed the tentacles that held Sailor Jupiter.

            The senshi ran to her side as she fell, entangled in the tentacle tips.  Black gel oozed from the wounds the goblin monsters had taken.  They screamed in pain and anger.

"Jupiter, are you okay?"  Sailor Moon asked.  She gingerly lifted her friend's head and looked her over.  Her magic had apparently kept her from taking a lot of damage, but it didn't protect her from being covered in what was presumably the creatures' blood.

            "Can't move."  She responded in a raspy voice.  Convulsing, she coughed and spit up some of her own blood.

            "I tried to warn you."  The victim of the monster's previous attack stood up slowly.  He gripped his wound and wobbled a little before regaining balance.  "Their tongues are also tentacles.  That's what injured me and sapped my energy."  He looked himself over and flexed his muscles.  "I guess it's only temporary though."

            "A-are you okay?"  Sailor Moon asked, hugging Jupiter closer to her.

            "We'll find out."  He ran toward a creature that was pre-occupied with nursing its tentacle.  He leapt and struck it on the side of its head with his knee, throwing it several feet away from him.  "I'll hold them off as long as I can!  You girls get outta here!"

             Venus pointed her finger at him.  "Crescent Beam!"  She shouted the trigger to her attack and the tip of her finger began to glow.  A bright beam of concentrated, golden light shot out from her and crossed over the man's shoulder, striking a monster that had prepared to attack him.  "It looks like you might just need us after all."  She giggled.

            He returned a half-smile and attacked another nearby monster.  His fist struck the creature's face, splattering its blood-like fluids over his body.

            "Bubble Spray!"  Mercury shouted.  Several large bubbles materialized from her fingertips and rounded up the monsters into a tightly packed herd.  "Sailor Moon, now's our chance!"

            "Right."  She agreed.  Carefully setting down Jupiter's head, she readied her wand.  She twirled it and danced in an elegant manner while summoning her magic.  Her hair flailed wildly as she spun around and shouted her trigger.  "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"  An intense, heart-shaped, pink light emitted from the crystal in her wand.  The creatures, bound by Sailor Mercury's spell, could do little more than screech in defiance as the light rapidly approached them.  The roar of Sailor Moon's magic drowned their screams as it erased their bodies from existence.

            The senshi waited anxiously for the dust to clear.  They scanned the area but found the only creature left was the one that was already dead.  The silence was deafening until the man who had fought along side them applauded as he made his approach.

            "That was amazing!  I've not seen anything like that in my entire life!  Just who are you girls?"

            The senshi introduced themselves and Jupiter stood up slowly.  "We heard a loud scream so we came to check it out.  What happened?"

            "Their tongues.  I didn't know then, but they are also apparently used as whips."  He moved his hand over the wound on his chest.  "That's what gave me this."

            Sailor Mercury gasped.  "Oh, yes!  That's right, you're injured!  Please, let me see it!"  She moved his hand out of her way and bent over slightly to get a better look.

            "I-it's alright!"  He stammered.  "It's just a flesh wound.  It'll heal in no time."

            "Well then, in that case, do you mind telling us what happened to that one over there?"  Jupiter motioned to the one fallen creature that remained.

            His eyes fell over the mangled corpse.  Groaning in disgust at the sight, he spoke to them.  "That, I presume, was the group's leader.  It was the only one that carried a weapon.  I managed to wrestle its spear from it, and shoved it down the blasted thing's throat.  As grizzly as it may sound, I wanted to make sure it was dead."

            The senshi stared at the creature's dead body.  Jupiter tore her eyes from the sight and forced herself to keep down the bile churning in her stomach.  "Mars, would you please get rid of that thing?"  She pleaded.

            Sailor Mars clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.  Beneath her breath, she muttered an inaudible phrase.  A great heat began to radiate from the body as its form melted away.  Within a brief moment, all that remained was a small puddle of fluids around the spear that still protruded from the ground.

            The young man smirked at the sight.  He turned to face the senshi with a thoughtful expression.  "Weren't you girls dressed differently a little while ago?"

            Sailor Moon stepped back and stammered in an evasive manner.  "W-what are you talking about?"

            "When you first arrived."  He answered.  "I could've sworn you were wearing different school uniforms."

            "Uh, you must be mistaken."  She countered and quickly tried to think of a way to keep their identities a secret.  "As I recall you were really mussed up.  So, uh, I guess maybe your vision was blurry or maybe you remember wrong, or something!"  She began to laugh almost hysterically.

            He rubbed his chin skeptically.  "Maybe."

            Mercury, having deemed his wound harmless, looked up at his eye.  Seeing the scar that ran down his face just over it, her inquisitive nature took over.  "You didn't get that in the fight, did you?"

            He brought his hand up to his face and smiled slightly as he ran his fingers over it.  "This?  No, I've had it for a while now."

            "Oh, okay."  She said, blushing at her lack of manners for that moment.  "I'm sorry."

            "It's alright, Miss Mercury."  He said as his expression became friendlier.  "Think nothing of it."  He smiled and winked at her.  At least she thought he winked.  She couldn't tell as his left eye was still covered by his long bangs.  "In any case," He continued, "I thank you all for your assistance, but I gotta go."  The senshi, not knowing what to say, watched as he turned and left.  "Oh, yes!"  He called out to them.  "I never really believed the senshi existed before, but it's good to know that you do!  See y'round!"

"Oh!"  Venus exclaimed, "We never got his name!"

            "Yeah."  Jupiter agreed.  "But we've got more important things to worry about right now."

            "Ohh."  Sailor Moon whined.  "Not another new enemy!"

            "'Fraid so."  Mars said.  "Let's just go to my temple for now.  We'll worry about everything else later."  She reverted back to her natural form as Rei Hino and walked off.  The other girls followed suit.

            "Rei!  Oh, Rei!"  She looked up as she ascended the temple stairs to see her grandfather waving at her.

            "Hi Grandpa!"  She smiled and waved back at him.

            The old man squinted his eyes upon seeing four figures following her.  It took him a moment, but he managed to recognize them.  "Oh!  You brought your friends with you!  Hi girls!"

            "Hello, Mr. Hino!"  Usagi squealed as she bounded up the stairs to greet him.  "Did your friend's grandson get here today?"

            "Yes he did."  Grandpa Hino smiled.  "His name's Diro.  I think you girls will like him, he's a very fascinating young man, and handsome too!"  He winked at the girls who, in turn, blushed.

            "Well, where is he Grandpa?"  Rei asked.

            "He's lying down right now.  The poor lad's all tuckered out.  I told him that I'd wake him up as soon as you got here."

            "Well, let's go then!"  She replied eagerly.

            Rei and her friends followed the old man to the front door.  A cool, gentle breeze rustled her hair as cherry blossom petals from the nearby trees floated down upon her.  She raised her face in the direction of the setting sun and drew in a long breath to catch the scents of spring.

            "You girls wait here, I'll go get him."  Grandpa Hino slid the door open and disappeared inside.  "Come on, Diro, the girls are waiting on you!"  Grandpa Hino ran to the doorway to greet them with a wide grin on his face.  "Girls, I want you to meet Diro Kotaishi."

            Diro lumbered sleepily behind the old man.  His eyes locked onto those of the girls and he managed a faint smile.  The girls, however, could do little more than stare in awe at the well built, longhaired young man.  They were especially lost in him when they looked at his soft face, which had a scar that ran down it just over his right eye.

            "Good evening ladies."  He said, and bowed slightly.  "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Author's Notes:

Well there it is, the first chapter of my great Sailor Moon, Street Fighter, and Ranma ½ crossover.  It'll take a little while for characters from the latter two to show up, but don't worry about it, it'll be great.  Actually, I recently published this in the Sailor Moon section before deciding to move it here.  So, I will be updating once a week until I finish writing chapter 11.  Be forewarned, however, I tend to update rather slowly but trust me it's worth the wait.  By the way, you will notice that my writing style improves later on.  Get better with practice, y'know?

The Rockstar "Prince of Crossovers"


	2. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 2

"Melchior!" The Bishop paced in front of his throne, seething with anger. "Balthazar! Gaspar! I command you presence at once!"

A figure, clad in black armor, stepped out of the darkness to the right of the Bishop's throne. Another figure, clad in white armor, stepped out of the light to the left. Yet another figure, this one clad in a glowing deep-blue armor, emerged from an ethereal glow to the front.

"I trust you know why I summoned you. Those disgusting red abominations never returned last night. Give me your report!"

"Excellency." Melchior, the man in black armor, spoke to him in a regal manner. "The Bludaria confronted a strange energy source on their mission. Unfortunately, they were defeated before they could return."

"Upon discovering this energy source, the Bludaria took it upon themselves to sample it and send the data back to us." The one in the glowing blue armor, Gaspar, continued. "However, they also discovered a different magical energy source and sent us back some data on that as well."

"At this point," Balthazar, the man in white armor, spoke up. "It is not known what said magical energy source is or where it came from. We will need more time to study it."

"And of the energy source Melchior spoke of?" The Bishop questioned impatiently.

"Excellency," Balthazar answered. "As of yet it is uncertain. However, we do believe that it is the one we are looking for."

The Bishop growled in his throat and sat down. A long period of silence instilled the darkened room with a great tension. The three armored men stood straight without betraying any existing emotion. Inwardly, the Bishop wished he could invoke a sense of terror upon them. He knew of their true potential, both individually and combined. Had he not been acting on the strictest orders of the King, the Three Knights of the Divine, or the Divine Knights as they were more commonly known, would not hesitate to rebel.

"I have made my decision." He spoke in a loud commanding voice. "Deploy another wave of the Bludaria. Their orders are to extract as much data from as many inhabitants as possible, without killing them."

"Understood." Melchior replied.

"And, in case the bearers of those magical energy sources show themselves again, I want the three of you to watch them. Do not interfere in their battle against the Bludaria. I expect to receive a full report from you the very moment the mission is complete."

The Divine Knights bowed respectfully. Turning on a heel, they disappeared to the areas from whence they had come. The Bishop sat in his throne and stared into the nothingness before him, pondering this latest turn of events.

"Are you sure it's the same guy?" Mamoru asked for conformation.

"Yeah." Usagi answered. "Rei's grandpa even claimed that Diro saved his life by fighting the monsters while he ran."

"And we don't know why they were attacked."

"No."

Mamoru rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He looked at the girls sitting around a small table in his apartment. The only one missing was Rei. She was busy showing Diro around Tokyo. She thought it would be a good way for everyone to discuss yesterday's attack without having him get suspicious. Although he would have preferred her input in the discussion, Mamoru was forced to agree that it was a good idea.

Luna's tail twitched as she tried to think of the attackers' reasoning. "Do we know if it was Diro or Rei's grandfather who was the actual target?"

Ami shook her head. "It looked like they were after Diro, but I guess it is feasible that they wanted Mr. Hino for some reason."

"Or it could have been a random attack." Makoto added. "It wouldn't be the first time. You know, like with Queen Beryl."

"But Beryl's dead, right?" Minako insisted.

"Right." Mamoru agreed. "Luna, Artemis, do either of you have any idea who could be behind this?"

"We'll have to see the monsters or one of the commanding generals to be sure." Luna stated.

"But even then we may not know for certain." Artemis interjected. "There were several realms that threatened the Silver Millineum. So many, in fact, that they could never be properly categorized."

"In that case, all we can do is be prepared for another attack." Mamoru said thoughtfully. "I want all of you to be careful and keep an eye on Diro and Mr. Hino. If one of them is a target, then they are going to need our help."

"So how do you like Tokyo so far?" Rei asked.

Diro sat down his drink, smiled, and looked at the street's crosswalk as a variable sea of businessmen made their way across. "I've never seen so many suits in my life!"

Rei giggled and sipped at her soft drink.

"So what's next on the agenda?"

"I was thinking that I'd take you to some of the places that my friends and I like to hang out at. Then, a little later, I'm supposed to take you back to the temple to meet Mamoru."

"Mamoru?"

"Uh-huh. Mamoru Chiba, Usagi's boyfriend." Rei answered and took another sip. "He's really quite an amazing guy."

"Right, I remember now. Yeah, he's all Miss Usagi could talk about last night."

"Yeah." She agreed. "She can be very obsessive when it comes to him." She rose from her seat and straightened her short khaki skirt. "Well, shall we?"

Diro rose, himself, and smiled at her. "Let's.

Having disposed of their cola cans in a nearby receptacle, the two walked, side-by-side, through the busy Tokyo streets. Rei glanced at the taller man beside her and faintly blushed. For some reason she felt as though she was on a date. Not that it was a bad thing. She did kind of like him, after all. He was handsome, polite, and had a soft, deep voice that made her melt on the inside when he spoke. Still, she couldn't help but wonder why he and her grandfather were attacked the day before. Was there something special about him? Did he have dealings with some other realm? Or was he just another innocent soul caught in the way of some nefarious plot?

Diro looked back at her and smiled. Rei's face turned a deep red and she quickly averted her gaze.

"This way Diro!" She tugged at his arm and led him to the entrance of a building. "This is the arcade. It's really Usagi's favorite place, but I thought that you might like to see it." She dropped her eyes and noticed that her hands were still wrapped around his wrist and her fingers were seeking to intertwine with his. Blushing, she let go of him. "Let's go inside."

He followed her inside and took a look around. Arcade consoles were lined up against the walls and scattered about by fours in various locations on the floor. Several Japanese children were laughing and squealing loudly as they played their favorite games. Groups of high school girls crowded together to share the latest gossip. Diro smirked as he wondered if he would soon be among it.

"Let's try this one, Diro!" Rei led him to a console with a picture of a blonde girl wearing a sailor suit with a red bow in her hair and a wild red mask. "This is the Sailor V video game. It's really popular!"

He eyed the picture suspiciously. "Sailor V? Is that like Sailor Venus?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"Funny." Diro said, rubbing his chin. "She looks a little like your friend Minako." He got closer to Rei to inspect her face. "And now that I think about it, you look kind of like Sailor Mars."

Rei gasped and stepped back a few paces. "Uh, really? D-do you think so?" She asked evasively. Her heart pounded with the fear that he'd put two and two together and figure out her true identity.

He shrugged. "I guess it must be a coincidence." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a token. "Come on, let's give this game a try!"

Rei collapsed and groaned as she lied on the floor.

Diro looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "What'cha doin' down there, Rei?"

She sprang to her feet and laughed. "Oh nothing! Nothing at all!"

He put the token in the machine's slot and began playing while Rei coached him. The two lost themselves completely in the game's fantastical realm. They became oblivious to their surroundings and to the fact that they were under the scrutiny of a man wearing black.

Melchior adjusted the dark shades resting on his face. "Such odd apparel these humans wear." He tugged at his black tie until it hung loosely from his neck. "I feel as though I'm prepared for the hangman's gallows."

Balthazar smirked at his comrade's remark and loosened his own tie. His disguise was a complete contrast to that of his fellow Knight's. While Melchior wore a dignified suit of black and matching sunglasses, he, himself, wore a glorious white-ivory suit of silk. He shifted his gaze to the other knight, Gaspar. This one was independent of the others. Like the armor he normally wore, Gaspar's disguise was a deep, ethereal blue. Before the mission, the three of them mused greatly at the thought of how they would be wearing their common colors. Had these poor earthlings any idea of what fate would befall them and what to look for, the Divine Knights could be easily discovered for their appearance. Not that it mattered to them, but their mission was covert in nature, and they were not prone to disregarding orders.

"Have the Bludaria been summoned?" Melchior directed his question to Gaspar.

"They shall be here shortly." He answered, bent over a pinball machine.

"Must you toy with that infernal human contraption?"

"Remember, Melchior. We are to remain inconspicuous. I would advise you to find a station of your own in order not to arouse suspicion." The console lighted up and played a victorious theme. "Hey, alright! Triple Ball Bonus!"

Growling at Gaspar's unprofessional behavior, Melchior turned to face the two humans he had been previously studying. One male and one female specimen. Humans looked exactly like the inhabitants of the Kingdom. The only key difference was the energy wave patterns they gave off. Comparatively, humans were much weaker than those of the Kingdom, but these two were different. The male, he recognized from the day before, and the female gave off a similar energy pattern to the one the Bludaria sent back. He chuckled to himself at this chance occurrence.

Gaspar released the machine he stood over. He smiled as he faced his allies. "They're here."

"Look out, Diro!" Rei cried, bringing his attention to an approaching attack.

He slammed his fist on the console's jump button. His Sailor V character narrowly avoided an enemy fireball.

"Wow! Great moves! I've only seen Ami make it this far!"

Diro pressed a sequence of buttons to activate Sailor V's Crescent Beam attack, disposing of his assailant. "What's this?" He asked as a red monster walked in from the side of the screen. "So, you want some too, huh?"

Pressing a different sequence of buttons, Diro controlled Sailor V with her Love Me Chain attack. The pixilated monster countered by wrapping a tentacle around her. Diro growled in frustration and randomly pounded on buttons as he watched his character's life gauge dissipate.

"Ohh." Rei groaned sympathetically. "Too bad, Diro. It's strange though, I don't remember that monster being in this game."

She watched as the screen faded away and read, in kanji, "Game Over." The ugly red face of a goblin-esque monster appeared and screeched at them.

"The hell?" Diro exclaimed in English. He took a step back and, in Japanese, addressed Rei. "Is this part of the game?"

"N-no!" Rei stumbled backward. "I've never seen this before!"

Diro narrowed his eyes and his brows furrowed together as recognition donned on him. He reached behind his back and retrieved a small, dagger-like shuriken that he purchased from the shopping district. Removing it from its resting place between his belt and his jeans, he quickly tucked it away in his fist. "Rei, listen to me." He spoke in a coarse voice, barely above a soft growl. "This is one of the things that attacked your grandfather and I yesterday. I want you to get out of here. I'll hold it off, but there may be more. I can only hope that the Sailor Senshi show up again."

The creature shrieked and stretched its tentacle from its mouth. I pushed against the arcade console's screen and broke through its elastic limit. Shards flew past Diro's body and the freed tentacle waved through the air.

"Rei! Go now!"

She turned and ran, hoping to find a spot away from prying eyes where she could transform. Before she reached the exit, she stopped dead in her tracks as another tentacle burst through an arcade screen and wrapped itself around a young girl's neck. The girl screamed and struggled until her strength left her and she was dropped to the ground.

The arcade was thereafter filled with the monsters. Rei grabbed her transformation pen and prepared to throw away her secret identity in order to save the lives of the innocent teenagers and children around her. She took a deep breath and, instead of shouting her trigger, screamed as a shuriken flew past her ear and imbedded itself in the creature's forehead. Spinning around, she saw Diro with his hand extended. His eyes were clearly telling her to run.

She fought her way through the panicking crowd and paused at the door to glance back at Diro. He was locked in battle against three of the creatures. Somehow he avoided their attacks with fluid and controlled maneuvers and returned with swift, deadly blows of his own. She marveled at the way he dealt with them. How on earth could he fight so well? Did he have some sort of special training? After seeing the unconscious victims of the monsters' attack sprawled out on the floor, she pushed those questions to the back of her mind. Making a mental note to talk to him about it later, she ran out the door.

The surrounding area outside of the arcade was flooded with screaming people. Rei nearly lost herself in the midst of them. Their fear was infectious, invoking the panic of several bystanders. A variable stampede engulfed Tokyo's street.

In order to avoid being trampled, Rei ducked into a nearby alley. She decided to make good use of her current situation and contact the other senshi. Reaching into her skirt pocket, she found her communication device and hurriedly tried to make contact with her friends.

"Guys!" She yelled out of panic. "Hurry! Come to the video arcade quick!"

"Why? What's at the arcade?" Mamoru's voice questioned. "I really don't think that right now's the time to be playing games."

"This isn't a game!" She screeched. "Those monsters from yesterday are back! They're attacking Diro! We have to help him!"

"Okay! We'll be right there!"

Rei dropped her device back into her pocket and grabbed her transformation pen. Feeling its magic pulsate through her body, she shouted her trigger. "Mars Star Power! Make UP!"

Diro stumbled backward from the monster's attack. His lip had been cut and the bitter taste of blood seeped into his mouth. He spat on the floor and growled deeply.

"Damn these things!" He cursed. "There's just too many!"

He took his stance as three of the creatures advanced on him while six of their comrades encircled him. Judging by the screeches throughout the building, Diro assumed that there were at least two more he couldn't see. Along with the one he killed earlier with the shuriken, there were twelve goblins in all. Eleven of which were still standing and likely to kill him.

Diro laughed at his misfortune. "I'm doomed." His expression grew dark as he brushed the hair out of his face, exposing both of his dark brown eyes. "If you're so intent on killing me then so be it!" He shouted. "But I don't wanna die alone! I'll drag all of you to Hell with me!"

He shouted a war cry as he charged the creatures. They returned a defiant screech as he leapt in the air. Twisting his torso, he spun for momentum and kicked the three before him.

As he landed a sharp pain shot down his back. He screamed and looked for his assailant. Behind him, one of the grotesque beasts retracted its tongue and waved it in the air menacingly. Diro growled as it let out short, staccato outbursts that sounded like a hyena's bark.

"Mock me, will you?!" He roared and chased after it.

The creature whipped its tentacle at him. Diro quickly side-stepped and grabbed it with his left hand. He pulled the monster into him by its whip-like tongue and, with his free right hand, delivered an uppercut to its jaw. Its razor sharp teeth shredded through its flesh. The black, gel-like blood of the goblin oozed from its maw, and Diro found himself bathed in the loathsome fluids once again.

Screaming their hate at the young fighter, the surrounding abominations pounced on him. He struggled against the blood-red torrent upon him until he was tossed aside.

He skidded across the arcade floor until his shoulders came in contact with something soft. Cautiously opening his eyes, Diro saw above him a pair of long, silky-smooth legs connecting to a pair of white, cotton panties. He felt a trail of warm liquid run over his lips as the girl standing above him screamed and jumped aside. Closing his eyes again, he hastened to get up and apologize.

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't know, uh, I…" He stammered and, blushing, he opened his eyes. "Sailor Mars!"

"It's alright, Diro." She said calmly. "It wasn't your fault." She paused and then her face became stern. "But why is your nose bleeding?"

Diro brought his fingers to his lips and looked at the color they picked up. The trail of liquid he felt earlier had turned out to be his own blood. He laughed apologetically and tried to find an excuse. "Well, uh, I have been in a pretty serious fight. I guess I might have been hit in the face."

Sailor Mars was skeptic. She was about to say something when one of the monsters, not wanting to be ignored, screeched its war-cry.

Mars nimbly leapt aside from a rapidly approaching tentacle that threatened to ensnare her. She brought her hands to her forehead and focused her magic. Gathering the mana energy from the flames that surrounded her, the Sailor senshi of fire shouted her trigger, "Fire Soul!"

A column of fire exploded from her fingertips and the monster's body caught aflame. Its now sizzling red flesh bubbled as it writhed in agony it screamed in pain and collapsed onto the floor where it melted into a puddle of charred remains.

"Gruesome." Diro grimaced.

"What right have you vile creatures to attack us? I will not allow you to wreak havoc as you please! With the fire of passion and the power of prayer, I am Sailor Mars! I punish you in the name of Mars!"

Diro tackled a wounded monster that had come up behind her. He struggled desperately to keep it locked in a chokehold. "Less talking, more fighting!"

The monsters screeched at them as they dropped their jaws and waved their tentacles. Mars rushed into the fray. As her physical abilities were enhanced greatly by her magic, she was able to avoid being struck and leapt high off of the ground. At the zenith of her leap's arc, she focused her weight to her feet and drove her high heels into the head of one of the creatures. Its scream was stifled when, under the senshi's force, it collapsed to the ground and its teeth gnashed together, severing the tongue.

The arcade flooded with the inhuman screams of the Bludaria. The one Diro held broke away and struck him on his temple. He stumbled back from the blow and grabbed his head. When he brought his hands before his eyes he saw, through his half darkened vision, they were coated with his blood. He fell to his knees and tried to remain conscious. His efforts proved futile as his eyes fluttered and he blacked out.

"Diro!" Sailor Mars yelled. She tried to run to him but fell when a tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle. Screaming and flailing her free limbs, she attempted to claw her way from its grip. Her body slowly grew weak and lied motionless as all of her energy was sapped by the monster.

The Bludaria screamed in victory. The remaining intact tentacles crept over to Mars' limp body to feast on whatever energy she had left. As they neared, a red rose, leaving a crimson streak in its wake, pinned one to the ground.

Screeching at this insult, the monsters retracted their tongues and spun around to face their assailant. From behind their soulless, black eyes, they glared at a tall young man wearing a tuxedo and a matching top-hat, surrounded by four young girls.

"This is a place of fun and relaxation." He spoke. "Where young lovers gather to wile away the hours together. Where friends meet to discuss the latest gossip. And where students release the stress of their daily studies. Your invasion will desist at once! I am Tuxedo Mask!"

"And we're the Sailor Scouts!" Echoed his entourage.

"In the name of the Moon, we shall punish you!"

The Bludaria screeched as the senshi charged on them. Tuxedo Mask grabbed his cane and, swinging it in the general direction of the monsters, commanded it to elongate. Several of the creatures were swept away by his maneuver, giving more room for his allies to attack.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sailor Jupiter shouted her trigger as her lightning element danced around her. A ball of pure, white light formed in her right hand. In a side-arm motion, she lobbed it at a group of Bludaria. When the ball made contact, the lightning energy within released and electrocuted three of the creatures.

Sailor Venus quickly looked over the area. Out of the six remaining monsters, one of them crept over to Diro's unconscious body, apparently meaning to feed off of his energy, or maybe even kill him. The senshi of love shuddered at the idea and pointed her finger at it. "Venus Love Me Chain!" A chain of links in the form of her symbol encircled her. Manipulating it with a wave of her hand, the chain wrapped around the goblin and lifted it into the air. The abhorrent thing screamed and struggled against the ever-tightening magical chain. The sickening sound of crunching bones and ripping flesh resounded as it was split in two pieces and landed on the floor.

She ran to Diro and gently lifted his head. Having checked his pulse to ensure that he was alive, she shook him and urged him to awaken.

His eyes fluttered open and, through his blurred vision, he saw the young, blonde girl cooing over him. Trembling, he lifted his hand to touch her face. "M-Mina…ko." He breathed almost inaudibly. He closed his eyes tight and, wincing from the pain he was in, drew in a sharp breath. Upon re-opening them, his vision, though still blurry and grossly inaccurate, focused and he looked at her once again. "S… Ven-us?" He groaned in pain as a tear of blood ran down the scar on his face. A long sigh escaped his lips and he fell unconscious yet again.

Watching Diro's breathing calm, Sailor Venus allowed her maternal instincts take over her actions. She moved his long hair from behind him and cradled his bloody head against her bosom. Her arms wrapped around him to form a protective barrier against any potential attack. She laid her cheek atop his head and turned her attention to the ensuing battle.

Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mercury helped Mars to stand. She had recovered little of her energy and leaned heavily upon them. The other two senshi defended them from the few remaining Bludaria, whose rapid approach was halted by the command of a man in a blue suit.

"We have all the information we require," Another man, this one wearing black, stated. "You remaining five are no longer needed. You are dismissed."

The creatures looked at one another as if they were discussing his words. At the urging of its fellows, one of them stepped before him and hissed.

"Vile insect!" He barked. "Fall back in line and question my orders no further!"

The Bludaria hunched over until its knuckles touched the floor. It whined apologetically and scurried back to its allies. When the five were reunited, a circle of white flames formed around them. At their feet, a strange insignia etched itself in the floor. The area filled with a dull white light, and the creatures' bodies broke apart and dissipated.

"W-wha?" Sailor Moon's jaw dropped. "What was that?"

"Nothing." A man wearing white responded. "We simply sent them back to our realm."

"You sent them back there?" Mercury demanded, her gentle voice contradicting her stern tone. "That must mean that you sent them here in the first place! Just who are you and what do you want with Diro?"

"Diro?" He asked. He followed her gaze to the young man in Venus' arms and smiled. "Ah, you must mean the youth that your comrade so lovingly holds. We were uncertain until now but, judging by the way he fought and the energy pattern he gives off, we are without a doubt that he is the one we've been sent to find." He looked back at the senshi and noticed they were in a battle stance. "You needn't worry, we have no intention of fighting at the moment."

Hesitantly, they let down their guard. "Why were you sent for Diro? Who are you?" Tuxedo Mask demanded. He knew it was a bad idea to trust this man, but he gave off an intriguingly benign aura.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Balthazar, Divine Knight of the holy luminance." He bowed and motioned to his colleagues." The one in blue is Gaspar, Divine Knight of mana, and the surly gentleman in black is Melchior, Divine Knight of the darkness."

Melchior scoffed at his introduction and turned his head away from them.

"As for the young Diro," Balthazar continued. "We cannot say. Our orders come from King Valcrist himself through his vizier known only as 'The Bishop.'"

"So what about those things that attacked us?" The still weak Sailor Mars asked.

"The Bludaria." Gaspar replied. He took his place next to Balthazar as he explained. "Despite their limited intelligence, they are quite plentiful. It is for that reason they have been commonly used for missions in our realm of Alundar. Therefore, we saw fit to send them here." He watched as Mars corrected her wavering balance. "As you have witnessed, their tentacles have a way of extracting energy. In actuality, they absorb the data of energy patterns. That data is then sent to their commander, we are they, in this case. We, thereafter, make our report to either the Bishop or the King himself. You see, the Bludaria's tentacles have these microscopic suckers covering them, and they…"

"I believe, friends, that you may have over spoken." Melchior interrupted. He turned his attention to the senshi. "You'll have to excuse these two, lord and ladies. They tend to over-indulge themselves in pleasantries."

"While you indulge yourself not at all, Melchior." Balthazar pointed out.

He grunted. "In any case, we must be off. We mustn't keep the Bishop waiting. By your leave." True to his regal nature, Melchior bowed and stood by the other Knights as a circle of white flames surrounded them. As with the Bludaria monsters, a strange insignia etched itself on the floor and the Knights disappeared.

"Hey! Wait!" Sailor Moon called out to them. She hooked her arms around Tuxedo Mask's bicep and looked up at him. "Mamo-chan, if they're our enemies, then why were they so nice to us?"

He didn't immediately answer her. Staring at the spot from where the Knights had disappeared, he attempted to process the recent events and what they had said to a point of understanding. Having failed, he turned back to her and said, "I don't know, Usako. I just don't know."

"Well we can't just let them take Diro against his will!" The re-energized Sailor Mars said. "No matter how nice those guys were, we have to protect him!"

"It looks like Mina-chan had the same idea!" Jupiter giggled.

Mars looked at the blonde senshi who still caressed Diro's limp form. Her cheeks puffed out and her face went red with anger. "Hey Venus, just what do you think you're doing?"

"Alundar, huh?" Artemis confirmed. His tail twitched side-to-side as he thought. "I don't seem to recall ever hearing that name."

"Does that mean that they never attacked the Silver Millineum?" Minako asked half interested.

"Maybe. Or it could also mean that it's a relatively new kingdom, or that they sincerely meant no harm, or any other reason for that matter." He looked down at his paws in defeat. "There are just too many possibilities to choose from."

She paid little attention to him and removed the bow from her hair. As she stared out her window, the day's earlier event played in her mind. The even of when she held Diro close to her. It had in no way been meant as a sexual gesture, he was beaten up pretty bad, after all. She was protecting him. Still, now that it was over and the silence of night had come, she couldn't help but think of it.

Gradually, she felt herself growing hot and opened the window. Breathing in the cool, spring-night air, she was reminded of his scent when her face was nestled in his hair. The faint musk that emanated from his body excited her senses and lingered with her still. She shuddered.

Minako surrendered herself to her thoughts and fantasies as she walked over to her dressing table. Despite the cool breeze blowing through her window, she still felt hot. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she saw that her skin had taken a reddish hue. She glanced back at her bed and was relieved to see that Artemis had left, probably to talk to Luna about the invasion.

She ran her brush through her signature silky, long, blonde hair and began to dress for bed. After unbuttoning her long-sleeved blouse, she stared at her mirrored form and covered her modest chest with her arms. Had she really rested Diro's head there? What on earth had she been thinking? Shaking her head, she dropped her blouse on the floor and allowed her skirt to fall in the same manner. She decided to pick them up in the morning and grabbed a pair of pink pajama bottoms and a tank-top of the same color from her closet.

She walked to her window and stared out of it once again. She didn't know why thoughts of Diro raced around her mind. Was it possible she had a crush on him? It wouldn't be the first time. She'd been in love before so she knew what to expect. Still, Diro was different somehow. Most prominently, he was in some sort of trouble with the King of Alundar. Why was that? Did that mean he was the bad guy?

"No!" She exclaimed. "I absolutely refuse to believe that!" She walked back to her bed and flopped down upon it. "I just can't believe that he's a bad guy. He's so nice and proper. I know that we just recently met, but I can't believe that he would have ever done anything wrong!"

She got up and turned off the light before returning to bed. Climbing between the soft blankets, she laid her head on her pillow and stared into the darkness. Although the girl's mind was a torrent of restless thought, she pushed the negative ones away and focused on those which were more pleasurable. Particularly thoughts of him. She smiled and pulled her blankets closer as she drifted off to a dream-filled sleep, comforted and secured from all of her worries and concerns.


	3. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 3

            Steam from the hot water filled the shower room of the temple.  Being wary not to scald herself, Rei slowly lowered into the bath.  She unwrapped the towel around her head and let her hair fall.  With a moan of pleasure, she sunk deeper into the tub and breathed the warm air around her.

            It was the first time, since the previous attack, that she allowed herself to relax.  After Mamoru helped her carry Diro back to the temple, she stayed at his bedside until he awoke.  Having lied motionless well into the night, her injured friend stirred.  Understandably, his entire body throbbed with pain.  Rei instructed him to lie still while she went to find some medicine for him.  Upon her return, she saw him attempting to stand and grasping his head.  She set down her tray and rushed over to him.  After a brief scolding, she set him back down so that he could eat the small meal on the tray and drink the tea that accompanied it.  When he finished and swallowed the pain medicine, she laid him down and cleaned the remaining dry blood from his face.  Moving his bangs out of her way, she placed a warm rag on his forehead.  He smiled at her; she smiled back and found herself helplessly drawn into his deep brown eyes.

            Those eyes.  She repeated that image in her mind.  She couldn't stop thinking about it.  His eyes, while mundane in color, hid behind them a perplexing soul.  For all their beauty, they held a stern quality.  For all their felicity, they seemed painful.  For all their familiarity, they shone a light of wonderment.

She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her uncovered body.  As she lowered her chin to the water, her hair floated to her front in the form of an inky black pool curiously prodding her bosom.  She watched as it wrapped around her, as if to redress her, and thought of him further.

His hair, in contrast to her own, was coarse and wild in appearance.  It wasn't until she began nursing his injuries that she felt how soft it actually was.  When she ran her fingers through it, she felt as though she was holding strands of silk.  She remembered when watching him from behind, his ponytail, tied at his waist by a black ribbon, danced against the twist of his torso.  When he turned to smile at her, his long bangs fell over the left side of his face, hiding his right eye's gorgeous mate.  Every time she saw that look, when he smiled slightly as a few strands teased his soft, pouting lips, her heart stalled.

The raven-haired girl sighed and brought her knees in close.  Why could she not stop thinking about him? And while she was bathing of all times!  What was it that was so special about him?  Stupid question, she thought, everything about him was special.  His eyes, his face, his muscles.  Rei giggled.  She couldn't help but get carried away.

"I guess I really do like him."  She mused and hugged her legs closer, resting her cheek atop of them.  "I'm just glad I get to be around him so often."

"Diro!  Hi!"  He paused in the midst of his training after hearing a familiar feminine voice.

"Minako?"  He thought to himself as he tried to place a name to the voice and turned around.  The girl bounded up to him and smiled.  Taken aback by her energetic personality, he grinned and said, "What's up?"

"Oh, I just came by to say hello and see how you were doing.  You were beat up pretty bad, y'know."

Diro winced at being reminded of his defeat.  "So, you heard about that, huh?"  She nodded.  "Hey, just for the record, I was outnumbered twelve to one with no back-up!"

"Yeah, I know."  Minako said sympathetically.  "Rei said you fought really well until the sailor senshi showed up."

He lowered his gaze in modesty.  "It was nothing, really.  I just wish that my Grandpa could be here to see how his training paid off."

"Oh?  Your Grandpa trained you?  Did you leave him back in America, or something?"

He shook his head as his smile faded.  "No.  He, uh, he died a long time ago."

"Oh."  She replied in a sympathetic tone.  "Oh, Diro, I'm so sorry!"

"S'okay. I mean, I miss him a lot, but as long as I study our style I kinda feel like he's here with me."  He looked at the blonde girl beside him and shot her a wan smile.

Minako thought frantically of a way to break the silent tension between them and looked down at the package she held in her hands.  "Oh, yeah!  I almost forgot!  I was with Usagi earlier today and we thought we'd make you a little care package in case you were feeling better!"

"Huh?  For me?"  Diro asked as he accepted the gift.  "What is it?"

"It's a bunch of cookies and goodies that we made especially for you!  I hope you like it!"

"Wow!  Thanks!"  He said, somewhat bewildered.  "I've never had a girl bake me cookies before!  Thank you!"

"Your welcome!  Go on, try one!"  She insisted.

"Kay."  Diro carefully unwrapped the little box and took a long look at its contents.  From what he could tell, there were three different kinds of cookies, but they were all nearly black.  Stealing a glance at Minako's smiling face, he gulped hard and said, "They all look so…tasty."  With a trembling hand he reached in and grabbed the best one he could find.  Attempting to hide the expression of wariness on his face he bit off a small piece and chewed it.  It tasted like an odd mixture of sugar and ash and had a texture similar to if he was chewing charcoal.

"Well, how are they?"

Grinning through his disgust, he managed to say, "They're, uh, delicious.  I think I should save the rest for later when I can, uh, 'savor' the taste.  Thank you."

"Don' mention it!"  Minako replied cheerfully.  "Say, tomorrow's your first day at school, right?"

"That's right."  He answered and led her under shade tree to sit.  "What about it?"

"Nothing really.  It's just that all us girls usually come here afterward to study and I was just wondering if you were gonna be here."

"Oh, yeah I've got nothing else to do so I guess I'll hang out with you guys, sure."

"Great!"  She bubbled.  "I'll be sure to bring some more goodies then!"

Diro's stomach knotted at the thought.  "That sounds wonderful." He lied.

"You wanna tell me a little about your training now?"  The girl asked, completely changing the subject.

"Um, okay."  Diro answered, taken aback by the girl's bubbly nature.  "It's a style of ninjitsu called Bushin.  My grandpa, Kunio Kotaishi, learned it from Master Zeku a long time ago.

"You see, grandpa was something of a vagabond when he was young.  He traveled all over Japan to learn about all forms of martial arts.  He found his favorite to be Bushin.  In fact, he first met Master Zeku in a street fight.  The Master beat him pretty badly and later agreed to teach him the style.  He always used to boast about how he was possibly the best student Zeku could have asked for, and that if he hadn't met and fallen in love with my grandma, Mitsuko, he would've been the next heir to his style."

"Hey, wait!"  Minako interrupted.  "They were both Japanese?"

"Yeah, why?"

Minako moved closer to him and looked him in the eye.  "It's just that you don't look like you have any Japanese blood in you at all!"

He leaned back to accommodate the girl's space.  "Oh that, well, uh, I'm adopted."

"Really?"  She insisted.

"That's right.  I was abandoned on their doorstep as an infant so they raised me like their own grandson, teaching me everything the both of them knew about the martial arts."

"Wow, that's so neat!  Why didn't you tell me about that sooner?"

"You didn't ask."  He answered bluntly.

Minako groaned.  "Fair enough.  Well, I'm going to meet some of the girls downtown to do some shopping, wanna come?"

Diro smiled at her.  "Thanks, but no.  I have to finish my training and get things in order for school."  He spat the last word.

Giggling, Minako and waved as she left.  "Well then, have fun Diro!  See you tomorrow!"

He shook his head and smiled at the girl.  She seemed to be a person who could enjoy herself despite the situation.  As he watched her walk away, he absentmindedly grabbed a cookie from her package and bit off a large piece.  His eyes widened and he groaned when he realized what he had just done.  He mumbled with a full mouth, "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"You allowed them to escape?!"  The Bishop demanded.  His normally pale, wrinkled face now shone an exuberant crimson from yelling at the Knights.  "Out of all of the traitorous deeds you three have committed this is by far the worst!"

"It was our call to make, Bishop."  Melchior responded.  "The young Diro was much stronger during that battle than the previous one."

"All the more reason you should have captured him when you had the chance!"

"The chance never arose, sir."  Balthazar pleaded.  "His allies, the Sailor Senshi, were stronger than he by far."

"Yes, yes.  You told me of the senshi."  The Bishop dismissed the excuse with a wave of his hand.  "It doesn't matter.  They may have been strong, but they are still merely girls!"

"And of Tuxedo Mask, Bishop?"  Gaspar persisted.

The Bishop picked up a glass of wine that had been sitting upon the arm of his throne.  He swirled it, watching the few lights in the abysmal room dance upon the dark red liquid.  Bringing the glass to his wrinkled lips, he drank deeply, savoring the bittersweet taste and allowing it to soothe his nerves.  "So, the three of you fear five little girls and two human men?"

"We do not fear them, Bishop."  Melchior answered.  "We believe it would be best to study them further, perhaps even to befriend them.  We may be able to accomplish our mission with little loss of man power."

"You are pathetic!"  The Bishop fumed.  He threw his wine at them, shattering the glass at their feet.  "Do you realize what you are suggesting?!  To think that the King's own Knights of the Divine would even consider having peaceful negotiations with mere humans!  This is inconceivable!  With your powers you should have already conquered that wretched realm!"

"That is not our goal, Bishop.  You know this."  Balthazar interjected in an emotionless, monotone voice.  He and the other two Knights were completely unaffected by his tantrum.  The old man could, and usually did, scream at them until his pale face turned blue, but they always stood firm.

"What I mean is you should have no reason for being cautious.  You are among the few remaining pureblooded Alundarians.  No living creature may stand against you!"

"Such blind faith is foolish, old man."  Melchior scoffed and turned his back to him.  "We know not from whence greater powers may emerge."  Ignoring the Bishop's barking orders, he walked into the darkness before him and disappeared.

"So, you want to know why I sent you and the others on this mission, do you?"

"It is a humble request for information, sire."  Melchior knelt before his king and, as was expected of him, kept his gaze lowered.  "I have reason to believe that it will be vital to our success."

"Oh?"  King Valcrist raised an eyebrow.  "Tell me."

"Well, my lord, the young one we found is quite strong and he gives off the most unique energy pattern that I have ever sensed."  He raised his eyes to the king and said, "It is almost as if he were Alundarian."

Valcrist chuckled to himself.  "You are correct, my knight.  The young 'Diro,' as he is known on Earth, is, in fact, almost Alundarian."

"Sire?"  Melchior questioned.

"As you know, the population of Alundar is waning.  It has been so ever since the end of the Silver Millennium.  When that lunatic Queen Beryl destroyed the kingdoms of the Milky Way Galaxy, she cut off our lifeblood.  Now myself, the Bishop, you and the other Knights are among the few remaining purebloods.  All others have been mixed with other races.  'Diro' is one of them."

"But, majesty, I have sensed the energy patterns of several half-bloods and Diro is not like them at all!"

"Precisely.  Those of royal blood are much different than average Alundarians."

Melchior rose to his feet and took a step back.  "Sire, are you saying…"

            "Yes, my knight.  Diro is the lost Prince Millian."  Valcrist stood prideful before his throne and glared at him.  "He is my son!"

Author's Notes:

Again my thanks to JadesRose for yet another kind review.  Unfortunately it may take a while longer than expected to finish chapter 11.  You see, when I ripped down this story from the Sailor Moon section, the next day my disk failed and I nearly lost all ten complete chapters!  Thankfully, I was able to recover them long enough to print them out.  So now I have the arduous task of transferring like thirty-five pages of work onto my computer's hard drive.  Big bummer.  But don't worry guys, I'll have that fixed before too long.

Now, for the rest of you who've read this story.  Start reviewing!  C'mon, I need the support!  The story will really start to pick up in the following chapters.  Look forward to it, kay?

The Rockstar Prince of Crossovers


	4. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 4

"Very good Ami!"  Diro exclaimed.  "Wow, your English is almost perfect!  If it wasn't for your accent, I'd mistake you for being an American!"

"That's our Ami!"  Minako chimed.  "She's probably the smartest girl in our class!"

"Please Mina-chan, you'll embarrass me!"  The blue-haired girl meekly replied.  "Do you think I should work on my accent, Diro-san?"

Diro sighed and rubbed the side of his head.  "For the last time, Ames, you don't have to call me 'Diro-san!'  We're all friends here, right?"

"That's right."  She agreed.

"Thus there is no need for formalities, got it?"  He insisted.

Ami shot him a shy smile and replied, "Got it."

"Good!"  He exclaimed.  "And you should keep the accent.  Actually, I've always found them kinda charming."  He answered bluntly, eliciting a slight blush from the shy girl.  "I remember back when my grandma was first trying to teach me Japanese, she would always be on my case to speak it properly without an accent.  But, the way I see it, it's important to remember who you are and where you come from, even if that means you talk kinda funny!"

"That sounds like a good philosophy to me!"  Makoto giggled.  "What do you say we all take a break and enjoy the snacks I brought?"

"Oh!"  Usagi's head perked up at the mention of food.  "What'd you bring for us, Mako-chan?"  She asked.

"Just some cookies and pastries that I whipped up after school!"  She replied cheerfully.

Minako became sullen.  "But me and Usagi already made some cookies!  I promised Diro-kun that we'd bring him some!"

Makoto chuckled.  "Oh, come on Mina-chan!  Diro can try your cooking later!  It's tradition that I bring the snacks to our study sessions!"  She leaned over to Diro and whispered in his ear, "This will serve as a distraction for now.  You can throw away her 'treats' after she leaves!"

He whispered back, "You're a life-saver, Mako-chan!"

The tall girl chuckled slightly.  All their friends had tried both Usagi's and Minako's cooking and had agreed that it was barely edible, but the two of them cooking together had to be lethal!  She didn't envy the kind of attention he had been getting.  She loved both of her friends dearly but being around them too much could likely drive a person to the brink of insanity.

"Wow Mako-chan!"  Diro exclaimed after biting into a small cake.  "This is wonderful!  How did you learn to cook like this?"

The girl smiled and said, "I kinda taught myself.  I would spend hours experimenting with different food combinations and spices until I had the perfect recipe.  It was fun!"

"Kind of your area of expertise, huh?"

"I guess you could say that, yes."

The boy shoved the rest of the cake into his mouth and stretched out on the floor.  "Y'know, I've been noticing these things about you girls.  It's like you each have your own special traits that make you stand out as individuals, but then you use them to complement each other."

Usagi cocked her head to the side.  "What do you mean, Diro?"  She asked in confusion.

Diro said, "I just mean that all of your individual talents make you girls meld perfectly with each other.  I'll bet if you had some sort of transformation device you'd be perfect magical girls."

The five girls sat in silence around the table and stared at their friend.  Ami cleared her throat and asked sheepishly, "What made you come to that conclusion, Diro-kun?"

He sat up quickly, letting his unbound hair fall over his shoulders and gave a half smile.  "I just tend to notice these tiny nuances when it comes to personalities.  It's a ninja thing, I guess."  Rubbing the back of his head and laughing loudly, he added, "Either that or I've been watching _way_ too much anime!"

All the girls let out a simultaneous sigh of relief and Makoto asked, "What do you mean 'ninja'?"

"It turns out that our Diro is actually very well trained ninja, Mako-chan!"  Minako attested.

"You're kidding!"  Rei exploded and leaned over the table to stare into the boy's eyes.  "Diro, why didn't you ever tell me about this!?"

He visibly shrunk under her threatening gaze.  "It never came up!  Don't you remember my little scuffle at the arcade?  You saw me fight then so I just figured you knew!"

"Fair enough."  She admitted and sat back down.  "It's just that not too many people practice ninjitsu so I imagined it would've come up somewhere in conversation."

"Is that so?"  He gave her a sly smile.  "I thought that all Japanese were inherently ninjas.  I mean, you're always being attacked by Godzilla and giant robots and scary red monsters, right?"

The raven-haired girl sighed and chuckled under her breath.  "Baka.  You _have_ been watching too much anime!"

"What was that, Rei-chan?"  Diro cupped his hand behind his ear.  "Did you just call me an idiot?"

Makoto giggled.  "Gosh, you two act like you're a couple already!  C'mon, we need to get back to our studies, right Ami?"

Amused at Rei and Diro's blushing faces, Ami nodded.  "Yes, we should.  We have to go over Algebra now."

Usagi sneered at the word.  "Ugh, do we really have to go over Math, Ami-chan?"

"Of course we do!"  She insisted.  "You know how bad your grades are!  You should be spending twice as much time on it than anyone else!"

"But, I…"  She started and tried to think up a believable excuse.  "I promised Mamo-chan that I'd stop by before I go home, and it's getting late so I should probably go now!"  She gathered her books and hurried for the door.

"Usagi!  Wait!"  Diro called and stood up.  "It's dark outside so you shouldn't go alone!  I'll walk you there!"

"But, Diro…"  Ami began.

"It's no problem, Ami!  I'm a ninja, remember?  I'll protect her!"  He said as he followed Usagi outside.

Ami remained seated for a moment until she realized his intention.  She ran out to the temple steps and saw the two of them walking on the street below.  She yelled to them, "You can't run away from your studies!"

Diro looked back up to her and returned, "We can try!  Usagi!  Run!"

The blue-haired girl sighed wearily as she watched him grab the Usagi's wrist and lead her along the streets at a running pace.  She returned to the temple to be confronted by a giggling Makoto.

"They got away from you, huh?  Looks like Di's a quick one."

Ami plopped back down in her seat.  "I just didn't think that he'd pull something like that, that's all."

After Makoto's soft giggles died down Minako said, "M-Mako-chan?  Do you think Rei and Diro would make a good couple?"

The taller girl considered it and said, "Yes, I think they would.  But that all depends on how Rei feels about him."

Rei grimaced through her blushing face.  "Will you stop trying to set me up, Makoto!"

"What's the matter?"  She asked playfully.  "Don't you like him?"

"No!  Maybe…kind of."

"I see."  Minako whispered and plastered a fake smile on her face.  "Well, it is getting a little late.  I think I should go home too!  See you later!"

Makoto glimpsed at the sullen look on her friend's face as she stood and quickly left.  After a short moment she understood what it meant.

Ami looked at the two girls left with her and at the empty spots around the table.  "Hey," She said.  "What about the Algebra?"

"Hey!  Diro!  Slow down!"  Usagi choked out between her deep breaths.

He slowed to a walking pace and stopped completely when the girl collapsed to her knees.  "Jeez, Usagi!  You're weak!"

"Am not!"  She whined.  "I work out just as much as any other girl!"

He laughed to himself and offered her his hand.  "Right.  Well, I said I'd escort you, so where do we go from here?"

Accepting his help, the pigtailed girl rose to her feet.  She thought for a while and came to her decision.  "You still haven't met Mamoru, let's go see him!"

"Sounds like a plan.  Lead on."

The two walked through the streets of Tokyo in silence.  Diro was fidgeting with his hair, trying to tie his ribbon just right, while Usagi thought of something to say.  "So what's your style?"  She finally asked.

"Huh?  Oh, yeah, it's Bushin."

"Bushin?  I've never heard of that style."

"That's because it's an ancient discipline and it's usually taught to a student in secrecy."

"Why's that?"  She prodded.

"Because…"

"Because it's such a pathetic style the masters are ashamed to admit they know it!"  A strange, slightly muffled voice announced from behind them.  "Diro Kotaishi!  Tell me, how is that scar of yours?"

Diro stopped dead in his tracks.  He recognized the voice but refused to believe the possibility.  He placed his hand on Usagi's shoulder to keep her from turning around.

"Oh?"  The man voiced.  "Certainly you wouldn't give your grandfather's murderer the cold shoulder, would you?"

Usagi gasped and looked at Diro.  His brow was furrowed and he clenched his teeth.  A deep growl emitted from his throat and his body shook as it tensed.

"At least, that's how you see me, don't you?"  The man continued, a subtle shrill of insanity was evident in his muted voice.  "Come now, you shouldn't let such an insignificant occurrence come between us!"

"You…"  The young fighter began.  He released Usagi's shoulder and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.  "You…sick fuck!!!"  He spun around and bolted through the air.  His blurred body came to rest where the man used to stand, and his fist rested in a pile shattered concrete.

The man's giddy laughter echoed through the streets of Tokyo.  "As slow as ever I see, young Kotaishi!"

Usagi spun to see a man in a white mask and a blue and gold leotard.  His long blonde hair was braided and fell over his shoulder.  He wore no shirt and exhibited a snake tattoo that twined its way around his torso.  His arms were adorned with gold bangles and armlets, and on his right fist he wielded a claw with long, steel blades.

Diro rubbed his throbbing fist and stared at the man with unfathomable contempt.  "You have no right to speak my family's name, Vega!"

He brought his claw in front of his masked face.  "I earned the right when I spilled your grandfather's blood, and when my friend kissed your face!"

"Diro!"  Usagi screamed and ran to him.  "Diro, what's going on?!"

"Get behind me!"  He demanded.  "Don't draw attention to yourself!"

Vega's blood-red eyes squinted from behind his mask and his shrill laughter resounded once again.  "And who is this delicious morsel?"  He asked.  "Who would've imagined that someone as deformed as you could acquaint such a beautiful seniorita?  I know of a million things I could do to pleasure a pure, innocent girl like this."  He slowly removed his mask, revealing his attractive, yet sadistically twisted face.  "What do you say, little one?  Would you like to come home with me?"

Usagi tightly gripped the back of Diro's shirt and squeaked through her fear, "Stay away!"

"Your name," He insisted.  "What is it?"

"U-Usagi."

He licked the front of his teeth and moaned approvingly.  "Your name, it means rabbit.  It is fitting."  He squealed.  "I love to play with bunnies.  In my villa I would often catch them and skin them alive.  One wouldn't imagine such a peaceful creature could scream so loud!"

Usagi tightened her grip on Diro's shirt and buried her face into his back.  The fighter flexed his muscles and prepared to defend the girl.  "You will never lay a claw on her you demented freak!  Got it?"

"There is nothing you could hope to do, young Kotaishi."  Vega argued.  "You will fall before me, just as your grandfather did."  Upon seeing him tense further he said, "But not tonight.  There is a street fighting tournament being held in three weeks and I wouldn't dare miss the chance of felling the last of the Kotaishi clan before an audience!"

Diro's expression grew darker.  "I cannot allow you to dishonor my grandfather's memory.  You will not survive the fight."

Vega replaced his mask.  "How admirable.  I expected nothing less from a Bushin.  See you in three!"  He trilled as he bounded through the streets and escaped into the shadows.

The young ninja collapsed to his knees, dragging Usagi down with him.  She felt his body tremble underneath her and barely heard him repeatedly mumble the words, "I'll kill him.  I'll kill him.  I'll kill him."

"Diro-kun?"  She asked meekly and reached to give his shoulder a soft touch.  "Are you okay?"  She crawled close to his side and gently turned his face toward her own.  The senshi stared into his tearful eyes and laid his head on her shoulder.  Without asking for further explanation she smoothed down his hair and comforted him.

"I'll kill him."  He whispered in a dry voice.  "I swear to God, Usagi.  I'll kill him."

Despite her confusion, a few tears of sympathy escaped from Usagi's eyes.  The wet trails that formed down her cheeks sparkled in the scant light as the surrounding shadows crept away from their embrace.

The intangible form of the Divine Knight of Darkness emerged from the crawling shadows and looked back at them with a stoic expression.  "So," he said, "The prince has a death feud.  My lord will be pleased to hear of his fighting spirit."  The dark knight floated back into the night to relay his information to the Kingdom.

Author's Notes:

Things are finally beginning to pick up speed.  It's about bloody time, right?  From here on out, you should notice a difference in my writing style.  Y'know, if you look closely.  That's because I finally got kinda good around this time.  Back when I wrote the first three chapters, in 2002, I was pretty new at the creative writing thing.  But now, I just about on track!  Yay!

A little personal news, last Monday, July 12, my best friend became a dad!  Rock on Travis!  A little girl named Joscelin (I think I spelled that right) was born on his 20th birthday.  Now they can both celebrate their birthdays at Chuck E Cheese on the same day!  How cool is that?

Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter 5, the debut of Ranma Saotome!


	5. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 5

Bells sounded in the distance signaling the end of the school day.  Several students ran by the seated Usagi and crowded the front door just by the steps.  They stood in various smaller groups of friends and whispered to each other as they stared at another student casually walking past them.

            Curious, Usagi looked back to see them parting cautiously from the outsider.  His figure was darkened as he walked directly underneath the afternoon sun.  When the boy reached the same step on which she sat, he halted.  "Usagi," He stated in a tired voice.  "I just wanted to say…thank you, for last night."

            The girl shielded her eyes from the bright sun as he sat next to her.  Being free from the blinding light, she recognized her newest friend.  "Good afternoon, Diro!"  She chimed.  "Are things going better for you today?"

            He smiled slightly and kept looking forward.  "A little, yes.  Thanks to you."  A faint blush colored his cheeks.  "I didn't want for you to see me like that, though.  It makes me feel…weak."

            She flushed a little herself.  "That's fine Diro.  Everyone needs to purge old feelings sometimes!"

            He nodded in agreement.  "Still, it's not something I'm used to.  I've never had someone to cry on before."  His blush deepened.  "I'd appreciate it if you kept that between us."

            "Right."  She answered with understanding.

            "Thank you."  The young ninja's expression relaxed and he stood to leave.  "I'm glad that I've made a friend like you, Usagi-Chan."

            She grinned to herself as she watched him walk away.  Although the girl was still confused about what exactly had transpired the night before, she understood that an old and painful wound had reopened in Diro's heart.  She promised herself that she would do all she could to help heal him.

            "No way!"  One of her schoolmates burst out.  "Even Tojimuri Sensei?!"

            Usagi turned around to hear what they were talking about.  A large group crowded together by the doors, they openly showed expressions of shock and confusion.

            "That's right."  Another student replied.  "That guy tossed Sensei around like a rag doll!"

            A short haired girl wearing a white headband broke away from them and ran next to Usagi.  She stared at Diro as he walked around a corner, following the streets of Tokyo.  "Ooh!  Do you know that guy?"  She asked.  "He's so awesome!  I have to meet him!"

            Usagi stood to talk to her.  "Do you mean Diro?"  She looked back at the crowd to find they were all gaping at him.  "What's going on?  Why is everyone so excited?"

            "You mean you don't know?"  The girl asked and fixed her starry eyes on Usagi's.  "During gym class he was assigned to be in the karate group!  They started off with some practice sparring and he beat all the boys without even taking one hit!  And then, Sensei wanted to see how strong he is and sparred with him!"

            "So, what happened?"  Usagi asked, drawn in to the other girl's excitement.

            "That guy beat Sensei!"  She exclaimed.  "It was awesome!  I saw it all!  Sensei started with some really fast punches, but Kotaishi-san dodged them all at a really close range!  And then he grabbed Sensei's arm and threw him over his shoulder!"  The hyperactive girl replicated the moves for her as she spoke incoherently fast.  She jumped up to perform a flying kick and inadvertently exposed her bright red panties, eliciting various voiced approvals from the remaining boys.

            "Will you guys get a life!"  Usagi snapped.  She turned back to the girl who was still punching and kicking the air.  "Diro really did that?  I knew he was tough, but I didn't think he could beat Tojimuri Sensei!"

            "He's so awesome!"  The girl exclaimed.  "Please!  Please, you have to introduce me to him!  You just have to!"

            Usagi reeled back from the excitable girl.  "Okay!  Okay!"  She agreed.  "I'll introduce you!  But I don't even know who you are!"

            "I'm Kasugano Sakura!"  The hyper girl said with a giggle.  "I'm a sophomore from class 2-C, pleased to meet you!"

            "Usagi Tsukino."  She smiled and shook the girl's hand.  "It's nice to meet you too."

            "There!"  She said, sporting a wide smile.  "Now we know each other!  C'mon!  Let's catch up to him before he gets too far ahead of us!"

            She giggled.  "Hold on!  I'm waiting on my friend Minako.  We can go as soon as she gets here."

            "Ooh!"  Sakura whined.  "But we could lose him!"

            Usagi giggled again.  "It's okay!"  She assured the girl.  "I know where he lives!  We'll just take you there!"

            "Are you serious?"  She held Usagi's hands in her own gloved ones.  "That'd be awesome!  Thank you so much!"

            Usagi eyed the girl's hands and asked, "Why are you wearing sparring gloves?"

            She released her hands and took a stance, grinning as she did so.  "I fight in these!"

            "Fight?  Does that mean you do the martial arts?"

            "Uh-huh!"  Sakura answered.  "I'm in training to go up against a guy named Ryu!  But now, I wanna meet this Diro of yours and fight him first!"

            "Are you serious?!"  Usagi demanded.  "That's no way to make friends!"

            "What d'ya mean?"

            "A fight is _not_ friendly!"

            "But it's just a little match."  Sakura insisted.  "It's not like we're out for blood or anything."

            "Still, I can't just take you to him because you two wanna beat each other up!"

            "But it's different for a martial artist."  She whined.  "I'm sure he won't mind!  We'll call it training!  Please!"

            Usagi groaned.  "Okay, fine.  We'll go as soon as Mina-chan gets here."

            Upon hearing her name, Minako snuck up behind her friend and said, "Been waiting long?"

            The pig-tailed girl jumped and clung to Sakura.  "Minako!"  She screamed.  "Don't scare me like that!"

            She giggled.  "Sorry, sorry!"  Her eyes fell to the other girl.  "Hi, I'm Minako!  Are you a friend of Usagi's?"

            "Actually we just met!"  She said cheerfully.  "The name's Kasugano Sakura, pleased to meet you!"

            "Well, now that you're here, Mina-chan, we can get this over with."  Usagi said tiredly.  "Sakura wants to go have a match with Diro."

            "A match?"  Minako asked.

            "That's right!"  Sakura confirmed.  "I wanna fight him!  Come on!  Let's go!  Let's go!"

            The hyperactive girl grabbed onto the senshis' wrists and dragged them behind her.  Usagi simply sighed and allowed herself to be pulled by her new acquaintance.  In the few moments that she had known the girl, she realized that she had much more energy than either Minako or herself.

            "Hey wait!"  Usagi blurted.  "I just got an idea!  We should stop by Mamo-chan's apartment and bring him along!  He still hasn't met Diro, at least, not when he's conscious, that is."

            "What about last night?"  Minako asked.  "You _were_ supposed to go there last night weren't you?  Or was that just an excuse to get out of your studies?"

            "No!"  She lied.  "We, uh, we _were_ going to go there, but, um, something came up and we didn't."

            "So what came up?  Rei called me before school and said that he never came home.  You two weren't spending the night together, were you?"  She teased.

            "Of course not!"  Usagi screamed.  "We were just talking and then he walked me home!  What makes you think that I would do such a thing, Mina-chan?!"

            She giggled.  "Jeez, Usagi, Calm down!  I know you wouldn't!  You've got Mamoru, and besides, Diro-kun is mine!"

            The pig-tailed girl shot her friend a sly look.  "So, Minako, you've been hounding Diro haven't you!  Have you kissed him yet?"  She teased and puckered her lips, making kissing sounds.

            She giggled.  "No, there's a problem.  I think Rei has a thing for him too."

            Usagi winced.  "Ooh, that's a big problem!  Watcha gonna do, Mina-chan?"

            A devilish grin crossed the girl's face.  "I have my plans."  She said and turned to face her friend.  "And you are essential to them!"

            "Uh, I am?"

            "That's right."  She confirmed.  "Nobody else knows you're involved!  You're the perfect recruit to my little scheme!  After all, all's fair in loving more, right?"

            Usagi's face contorted into a twisted smile at her friend's failed attempt at a proverb.  "I suppose.  Just as long as no one gets hurt."

            "Don't worry 'bout it, Usagi-Chan!  Rei'll be just fine, and Diro'll be all mine!"  The blonde girl laughed almost maniacally at her rhyme and her secret plans.

            Sakura looked back at the two, who had by now struck identical poses and burst with loud laughter.  "What a bunch of weirdoes!"  She sighed.

            Rei Hino sighed as she wiped the sweat off her brow.  Relieved that she had finished sweeping the front of the temple, the raven-haired girl turned to go back inside.  She stopped at the door to look at the young boy that had not too long ago become her roommate.  She had barely gotten any sleep last night as she was worried over his well being.  She knew that he could care for himself, but she still felt a loyalty to him as strong as she did for Usagi and the rest of the senshi.  The girl hoped that he didn't leave her like that again.

            "Diro!  Would you like me to bring you something to drink?" 

            The boy was unfazed in his training.  He continued to lift his entire body off the ground with his left hand without looking at her.  "No…I'm cool."  He answered in a strained voice between gasping for breath.

            "Well, okay then.  Don't overdo it, okay?"  She walked inside after receiving a loud grunt as his answer.  He didn't tell her where he went the night before, but she didn't mind.  As far as she was concerned, the only thing that mattered was that he came home.

            The senshi of fire shook her head to clear her thoughts.  She didn't know how it was possible to become so attached to a boy in such a short period of time, but it had obviously happened.  She was always thinking about him.  The only thing that she desired was his comfort and well-being.  As was the same for her friends, Rei had a history of crushes and falling in love.  She had even wanted to go out with Mamoru at one point, but she felt different around Diro.  It was like she was in love with him, but it was different from her other experiences.  She felt warm and comfortable when she was with him.

            "I am so confused."  She whispered.  "Maybe if I ask him out I'll know how I truly feel."

            She walked into the kitchen and prepared a pot of tea, the entire time thinking and trying to build up the nerves to talk to him.  Her hands trembled as she poured some into a small cup and slowly drank it down.  Despite the tea's warmth, the girl shivered with every mouthful.  Her body shook due to her nervousness.  It made her want to forget the whole prospect, but she knew she had to lay it to rest.  Maybe, if things were to work in her favor, she would have a new boyfriend by the time it was over.

            "Alright!"  She said with enthusiasm and slammed her cup on the table.  "I'm not going to let him scare me!  I'm going to ask him out!"

            "Ask who out?"  The small man standing beside her asked.

            Rei jumped in surprise and her face turned bright red.  "Grandpa!  Don't sneak up on me like that!"

            "Diro!  Hey Diro!"  The young ninja looked over his shoulder at the upside-down vision of three girls and a tall man ascending the temple steps.  He lost his balance and landed hard on his backside.

            "Ouch!"  He groaned and rubbed his bruised body.  "Minako?"  He asked and looked at the girl, followed by her friends, running up to him.  "What are you doing here?"

            "We came to see you, Diro-kun!"  The blonde smiled.  "And we've brought someone for you to meet!"

            "Huh?  Who?"

            "My boyfriend, Mamo-chan, for one."  Usagi said as she squeezed the taller man's hand. 

            He smiled down at her and looked back up at long-haired boy.  "I'm Mamoru Chiba.  Usa-ko has told me a lot about you."  He bowed.  "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

            "The pleasure's all yours."  He responded.  "Um, Usagi, you know I love meeting new people, but I really don't have a lot of time right now.  You know about the tournament and I've got a lot of training to do in just three weeks, so…"

            "Don't worry 'bout it!"  A short-haired girl said.  "I can help you out with that!"

            The boy sighed and resigned himself to the socializing habits of his new friends.  "And your name is?"  He asked, half-interested.

            "My name's Kasugano Sakura!"  The hyper-active girl put one hand on her hip and ran a finger under her nose.  "I'm the rising new star of the street fighting world, trained by the Shotokan master Ryu, himself!"

            "Ryu?"  Diro asked.  "The legendary fighter that defeated Sagat?  You were trained by him?!"  He demanded.

            "Well, he didn't exactly train me," The girl admitted.  "But I've watched him fight and I've learned a lot from him!"

            "Like what?"  The young ninja prodded, his interest peaked.

            Sakura chuckled and a devilish grin crossed her face.  "Wanna see?"  She sprinted to him and jumped, spinning in the air.  The wind generated by her propulsion knocked Momoru and the other girls aside as she yelled, "Shunpukyaku!" 

            Startled by the girl's sudden attack, Diro parried a few of her kicks before ducking behind her.  "What on earth do you think you're doing?!"  He demanded.

            "I'm trying to fight you!"  She replied incredulously and ran toward him again, attempting a flying kick which he easily dodged.  "C'mon!  Fight back!"

            "Why should I?"  The boy asked.  "I don't want to fight with a girl!"

            "If you were thinking about entering the tournament in Nagano, then you're gonna have to!  Why not start now?"  She said and delivered a volley of punches for him to block.  "Besides, you said you needed to train, right?  Well now's your chance!"

            As the girl threw a wild right hook at his head, Diro ducked and kicked at her legs, sweeping her off of her feet.  He laughed at the sight of her rubbing her sore posterior.  "You make a good point, Kasugano.  You've got your match, but only if you can keep up!"  He took his stance and gave her a wry grin.

            The hyper girl's face lit up.  She sprang to her feet, tightened her headband and took her own stance.  "I'm not going to hold back."

            "Good."  The boy replied and leapt at her.  He dazzled her by doing several midair somersaults in rapid concession before driving his elbow into the top of her head.

            Dazed by the attack, Sakura shook her head and clasped her hands together to form one big fist.  "Shouoken!"  She yelled and drove her fist into his gut, lifting him from the ground and tossing him across the temple's yard.

            "What the hell is going on out here?!"  Rei demanded as she stormed out the door.

            "I'd kind of like to know, myself!"  Momoru agreed.  "Usa-ko, why are they fighting?"

            "Sakura said that she wanted to spar with Diro-kun," The pig-tailed girl answered with blatant concern in her voice.  "But I had no idea they would go at it like this!"  She buried her face into her boyfriend's arm.  "This is just too violent!  Is this what the tournament's going to be like?"

            The fighters crossed each other in midair, exchanging blows as they passed.  Sakura glided to the ground, kicking up dust as she landed, while Diro fell headfirst toward the pavement.  He grabbed the stones beneath him and dragged his fingers along them to correct his descent.  He landed on all fours and looked back up at the girl.  "Your moves are a little different from other Shotokan-ka I've fought."

            "I've modified the style a little bit."  She replied.  "It fits me a lot better, I think."

            "Agreed."  Diro said.  "But you leave yourself open too much; you're still an amateur!"  He sprinted at the girl and leapt over her defensive punch.  Gently placing his forefinger on the top of her head, he twisted as he glided over her and delivered a swift kick to the back of her neck.

            He watched her slowly get up from ground, groaning as she did so.  "Y'know, not to nit-pick or anything, but you plan on competing against the legendary Ryu at the tournament, then you're gonna have to beef up a lot!"

            Sakura laughed, the sound of which resembled more a choking cough.  "I've still got one little trick up my sleeve."  She jumped back and quickly got into stance.  The Shotokan girl brought her hands to her side, the palms in close proximity with each other.  A gust of wind surrounded her as a pale blue light began to glow.  Her face contorted into a malicious grin as she yelled, "Hadouken!"

            Diro's eyes widened in shock as the fabled blue fireball of the Shotokan sped toward him.  He brought his arms up in front of his face just in time to block the attack from striking him between the eyes.  The boy struggled against the ki blast until it began to burn its way through the bandages covering his wrists and arms.

            "Diro!"  Rei and Minako yelled simultaneously and ran toward him.

            The young ninja screamed out of pain and frustration as he forced the fireball aside.  Through sheer will, he managed to deflect the blast away from him, but gaped in horror as it sped along its new course toward the girls approaching him.  "Get back!"

            Rei and Minako stopped dead in their tracks as they stared down the ki blast advancing upon them.  They cringed and held onto each other when they felt the heat from the blue light drawing nearer.  They were near panic until a shadow sprung from the ground and took solid form, blocking the fireball's course.

            "A promising attack, but still very weak."  A man with a stoic expression and short black hair said.  He stood with one hand outstretched in the direction the ki blast had originated.  His loose black shorts and tanktop of the same color flapped in the disrupted wind.  "You both have a lot of training to do."

            "Our Melchior kind of has a thing for dramatic entrances."  A friendly voice announced from behind Usagi and Mamoru.  They turned around to see a man in white jeans and a plain white t-shirt accompanied by another in blue jeans and a tanktop of the same color.  "It's nice to see you again, Miss Moon."  He said in a hushed voice.

            "You are much too weak to survive your death feud, young Diro."  Melchior stated in a loud, commanding voice.  "You have only one chance to win against your opponent, and that is by training with me.  From here on out, I will be your partner.  Now fight me!"

            Balthazar, the man in white, smirked at his comrade's disposition.  He looked around the area and said to Usagi, "I see there are two of your teammates missing.  Please hail them, there is much we must discuss."  He focused his attention back on Diro.  The man's heart swelled with joy to know that he finally beheld the prince of his homeland.

Author's Notes

Okay, I was wrong.  I got a little ahead of myself.  Ranma makes his appearance in like chapter 7.  Sorry 'bout that.  Well, I finally finished transcribing all my missing chapters last night so I can now get to work on chapter 11.  Yay!  I should probably mention that it's gonna end with something of a cliffhanger.  So you're all gonna hate me until 12 comes out.  Meh.  What're ya gonna do huh?

Dude!  Brainstorm!  I'd kinda like to write other stories (I need some effin' clones man!) so I'll probably have to hurry up with this one.  I think I wanna write a Captain N fanfic!  That would be so friggin' awesome!  Yes, I am a child of the '80s.  Captain N loses his powers because his equipment is now antiqued, so he must become Captain N cubed!  And fight against other captains.  Like Captain Xbox and the, uh, The Play Station Commander!  Rock!  My god I am such a geek.  Now I'm depressed.  I gotta go.

The Rockstar Prince of Crossovers


	6. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 6

Usagi Tsukino watched, terrified, as Diro Kotaishi stared down the Divine Knight of Darkness, Melchior.  She gripped Mamoru's arm and pulled herself closer to him.  "Mamo-chan," she whispered.  "Do something!"

            The taller man nodded and turned to the other knights that watched them.  "Just what do you think you're doing?!"  He demanded.

            "Do calm yourself, Lord Earth."  Balthazar answered.  "No harm will come to your friend, rather, we are here to help."

            "What are you talking about?"

            "The young Diro must prepare for an approaching tournament, correct?  We simply desire to be of some assistance in his training."

            "But why would you want to do that?"  Usagi asked, still clinging to Mamoru.

            Gaspar gave her a benign look.  "There are reasons, Lady Moon.  Be not concerned, all will be explained when your comrades arrive."

            "It had damn well better."  Rei snapped as she closed her communication device.  "Makoto and Ami are on their way."

            "Excellent."  Balthazar declared and noticed how the three girls and the tall man were glaring at him.  "I assure you, although this may seem unorthodox, we mean you no harm."

            The pig-tailed girl stopped looking at them and turned her attention to Diro.  She watched as he removed his black gi top and white t-shirt and was caught by surprise at all of the scars that covered his otherwise bare torso.  She remembered seeing him like this after the battle at the arcade, but things had been so hectic, she didn't notice his battle-worn body.

            The boy spoke loud enough for the onlookers to hear.  "Just who are you to challenge me?"

            The man in black answered, "My name is Sir Melchior, Divine Knight of Darkness and Shadow of the mighty kingdom of Alundar.  I was sent here to test your abilities and to train you in our arts."

           "You were sent for me?"  The boy asked, incredulously.  A cocky grin crossed his face as he took his stance.  "Fine, I'll play along.  Who sent you?"

            Melchior's expression remained unchanged as he answered, "I was sent by your father."

            Diro's eye twitched and he spat on the ground.  "Moron.  I'm an orphan.  I have no father."

            "Believe what you wish."

            "I will."  He concurred.  "Shall we begin?"

            "Hey, wait!"  Sakura yelled from a distance.  "Diro!  What about me?"

            "I'll play with you later."  The boy answered.  "Right now I wanna see what this guy's made of!"

            The hyper girl's cheeks puffed out in frustration.  "Jerk!"  She yelled after him as he charged his opponent.  She watched as he jumped over the taller man and grabbed his shoulders.  "Hey, I recognize this!"  She said as the boy flipped his opponent over his head and slammed his body into the ground.  "This is the same style that Guy uses!"

            Diro hung his hands loosely in front of him in the stance he had practiced his entire life.  "So what abilities did you want to teach me again?  Begging for mercy?"

            "You are very proud, young Diro."  Melchior observed as he stood and patted the dust off his clothes.  "Much like your father."

            "I told you I'm an orphan!"  The boy screamed and charged him again.  He extended his left leg in midair merely to pass through his opponent's intangible form.

            The knight waited until Diro finished tumbling before saying, "That is one of the abilities you must learn."

            "Whoa!"  Minako gaped.  "What just happened?"

            "This is one of our friend's favorite techniques."  Gaspar chuckled.  "As the ward of the Darkness, he has been endowed with the ability to manipulate shadows, even to the point of becoming one himself.  If he were to learn it, I believe it would fit incredibly well with Diro's fighting style.  Imagine a ninja who could physically become a shadow.  He would be impossible for any human to trace!"

            "Do you not believe that we should keep this information until the remaining senshi arrive, my friend?"  Balthazar prompted.

            The other knight's eyes popped open in surprise.  "Oh!  Indeed you are correct."  He turned to the girls and gave them a courtly bow.  "Do forgive me, ladies.  I have a tendency to ramble about these matters!"

            "I don't know what the hell you're talking about anyway!"  Rei mumbled and grunted impatiently.  "I wish Ami and Makoto would hurry up!"

            "I don't know how in the hell you did that," Diro grumbled as he stood.  "But I sure as hell don't like it!"

            "You will when you learn to employ it."  The knight said, matter-of-factly.  "Let us continue."

            "You cocky son of a…"  The boy muttered and brushed his bangs out of his face, tucking them behind his ear.  He dropped his hands to his side and casually walked up to his adversary until he was just a few inches in front of him.  He looked up at him and smirked.  "Bring it!"

            Without hesitation, Melchior balled his fist and struck the ninja across his face.  Diro grabbed his extended arm and pulled him closer, connecting with an uppercut in the process.  The boy followed up by side-stepping in front of his opponent and punching him in the stomach.  Lurching forward, Melchior brought his hands down in two strong knife-hand strikes between the boy's neck and shoulders.  Diro screamed through his pain and jumped up, slamming the top of his head into the knight's nose.

            "Cool!  Cool!  Cool!"  Sakura bounded up to the other girls.  "Did you see that?!  That had to be one of the coolest close-range sequences I've ever seen!  I'll bet that Diro's as fast as Guy himself!"

            "Who's Guy?"  Mamoru asked.

            "Who's Guy?"  She repeated, incredulously.  "Only the heir and greatest master of Bushin ninjitsu!  That's his style, isn't it?"

            "Well, yes."  Usagi responded, remembering her conversation with him the night before.  "But I don't remember his saying anything about this 'Guy.'"

            "No?"  The girl asked.  She returned her attention to the fight.  "I guess he hasn't fought him yet.  Now that's a match I'd like to see!"

            "Weirdo."  Rei commented to the side.  She turned her head when she heard rapid footsteps ascending the temple stairs.  Upon recognizing the two senshi, she called out, "Ami, Makoto!  Over here!"

            The two ran over to their friends and doubled over to catch their breath.  Makoto said, "We had to run here from the school.  What's this big emergency of yours?"

            Minako pointed to the side.  "Uh, over there."

            Makoto followed the blonde's finger to see Balthazar and Gaspar smiling and waving at her.  She screamed and hastily backed away.  "Y-y-y-you!  You guys were the ones who sent those monsters after us!  What are you doing here?!"

            While Gaspar stifled his laughter, Balthazar said, "We came to speak with you ladies and this gentleman.  Our orders are to deliver some significant information to you and assist the young Diro in his training."  He glanced at the ensuing battle between the boy and the remaining knight.

            Ami followed his eyes to see the ninja at the receiving end of several rapid punches.  "What are you doing?  Make him stop!"

            "Worry not, Lady Mercury.  Your friend is in no danger."

            "But he's being hurt!"

            "Only for now."  Gaspar replied.  "This boy is much more powerful than any of us can possibly imagine.  In fact, I'm starting to worry about Melchior."

            Rei turned her back to them and snorted.  "Fine, tell us what you know."

            Balthazar smiled at her and said, "Very well, Lady Mars.  Shall we go inside away from prying ears?"

            "Whatever."  She answered.  "Follow me."

            Sakura noticed them walking away and asked, "Hey, where are you going?"

            Usagi answered, "We're just going inside for a bit.  Why don't you stay here and cheer on Diro-kun?"

            "O-okay."  She hesitantly agreed and continued to watch the fight.

            "We're all here now so spill!  What is it you wanted to tell us?"  Rei demanded.

            Balthazar retained his complacent expression and said, "I sense you do not trust us, Lady Mars."

            She slammed her hands down on the small table in front of her.  "Of course I don't trust you!  Just a week ago you sent these _things_ all over Tokyo and put God knows how many innocent people in danger!  Then you tell us that you were looking for Diro and now that 'Milker,' or whatever the hell his name is, is out there trying to drive our friend's face into the pavement!  You owe us an explanation!"

            "Rei-chan, please calm down!"  Ami pleaded.  "Balthazar-sama, will you please tell us what you know?"

            "Of course, Lady Mercury, but I do not blame Lady Mars for her outburst.  It is quite understandable due to our past sins.  I hope within time you will find it within your hearts to forgive us."

            "If you really are sorry, then of course we forgive you!"  Usagi cheerfully replied.

            "I thank you, Lady Moon.  You boast the same kindness as your mother of so long ago."

            "Yes," Gaspar agreed.  "I'm certain the late Queen Serenity would be proud."

            "Queen Serenity?"  Usagi asked in disbelief.  "How do you know about her?!"

            "Yeah!  Come to think of it, how did you know that we're the sailor senshi?"  Makoto inquired.

            "Well, the second question is easy."  Gaspar answered.  "For one thing, we Alundarians have the innate ability to sense different energy patterns.  We recognized yours from our meeting a week ago.  Also, it really isn't that difficult to tell if you look, I mean, you girls don't even wear masks!"

            "As for our knowledge of your past," Balthazar continued through the girls' awkward exchanges.  "We know for our paths are entwined.  According to ancient texts, the Moon Kingdom and our world of Alundar coexisted peacefully.  In fact, we depended heavily upon them.  As we were born primarily a warrior race, the ancient kingdom was plagued with many wars.  Over time, our natural resources were completely depleted and our people were near extinction.  The texts tell of the following era when the fight had been drained from our kind and the reigning king humbled himself before Queen Serenity.  He begged for her assistance to save his people and the gracious queen agreed.  She gave him a shard of the very crystal that supported her kingdom.  King Rhamael thereafter pledged his eternal allegiance to her and returned home with the shard."

            "Really?!"  Usagi pressed.  "When was that?"

            "This took place long before you were born as Princess Serenity."  The Knight answered.  "And long before the rape of your kingdom by that fiend Beryl."

            "You seem to know a lot of our pasts," Mamoru interjected.  "Exactly how accurate are your sources?"

            Gaspar said, "Ever since King Rhamael returned with the crystal shard a strong alliance was formed between Alundar and the Moon Kingdom.  Thereafter, the king urged massive reform upon his subjects and many became scholars recording all events in both kingdoms."

            "So they're very accurate, I take it."  He mused.

            "That is correct."  Balthazar affirmed.  "Which brings us to our next point, the lineage of our kings."

            "Lineage?"  Minako questioned.  "What does that have to do with anything?"

            "In truth," He continued.  "King Rhamael was so gracious toward the young Queen Serenity that he was often a guest in her palace and the two spent much time together.  The king had openly fallen in love with her."

            "You're kidding!"  Minako burst.  "That is so romantic!  Serenity's mamma had an admirer!"  She swooned and hugged Usagi around the neck.

            "Minako-chan…I can't…breathe!"  The pig-tailed girl choked out.

            Balthazar smiled at the two and continued.  "What is important is that the queen apparently returned his affections.  She bore him a son shortly after their alliance."

            "What?!"  Usagi screamed, breaking free of Minako's chokehold.  "You mean I, uh, Princess Serenity had a brother?!"

            "That is correct, Lady Moon.  Your half-brother was the heir to the Alundarian throne.  What's more, he was also the ancestor of the boy you know as Diro."

            The senshi screamed and gathered closer.  Rei yelled, "You must be mistaken!  There's no way that Diro can be related to the meatball-head, much less the descendent of one of your former kings!"

            "There is no mistaking it, I'm afraid."  Gaspar responded.  "Your Diro is none other than our long lost Prince Millian."

            "But…that just can't be."  She said.  Her voice was shaking and she seemed on the verge of tears.  "He can't be a prince.  I don't want him to be!"

            Minako looked at her sympathetically.  "Rei-chan?"

            As the girl stifled her sobs, the knights stood.  Gaspar said, "I realize how great a burden this is upon you, but our orders were not to be ignored."

            Balthazar added, "We have one request of you, please do not tell the prince of his heritage.  He already has much on his poor mind with his death feud.  It would undoubtedly trouble him further to know where he comes from.  Such distractions could prove fatal in battle.

            "There is still more that we wish to tell you, but this will do for now.  We will return tomorrow to continue the prince's training."

            "No!"  Rei screamed in protest.  "Don't come back!  Don't come near Diro!  Why can't you just let him live a normal life?  He just got here!  Don't take him away from me!"

            Balthazar drooped his head and frowned slightly.  "Please forgive us, my lady, but we must return.  Understand now that we have found our prince; we will do everything in our power to protect him.  We intend to awaken the powers of his lineage."  He audibly sighed when he looked into the girl's hurting eyes.  "To bring pain to a guardian of the Moon Kingdom is truly a grievous sin.  I beg of you, accept my repentance."

            The other senshi watched them leave and tended to their friend.  "Rei-chan, are you alright?"  Usagi asked.

            The girl sniffled and gave her an unconvincing chuckle.  "I'm fine, meatball-head.  I probably should have seen this coming.  Whenever one of us starts to fall for a guy we find out he's got special powers, or he's a bad guy or a prince or whatever.  It happens every time, it's so stupid!"

            Minako cleared her throat.  "Come on, Rei-chan, cheer up!  Does all of this really matter anyway?  Diro is Diro and nothing can change that!"

            Usagi tilted her head and looked at the blonde senshi.  "Minako-chan, what about you?"

            "What about me?"  She asked and turned back to Rei.  "Rei, you really like him, don't you?"

            The raven-haired girl flushed and nodded slightly.  "I'm not sure, but I think I do."

            "Then it shouldn't matter if he's a ninja, and prince of some other dimension and that he's related to Princess Serenity, right?"

            She giggled.  "Yeah, it is a bit much, but I guess I still really like him."

            The temple door slid open and the staggering Diro entered, followed by Sakura.  "Don't forget, Diro, you promised to fight me!  I'll come back tomorrow and make sure you deliver!"

            The boy lifted a tired arm to wave off her challenge.  "Yeah, tomorrow, sure."  He yawned.  "I'm gonna take a bath and then I gotta crash."

            As he disappeared down the hallway Minako whispered to Rei, "Now when he's done, you're gonna confess your feelings for him, right?"

            The raven-haired girl's face turned bright red.  She tried to respond, but simply nodded in agreement.

            "Good!"  She cheered and turned to the others.  "C'mon guys, lets leave Rei alone for the rest of the night."

            "Mina-chan, wait!"  Usagi called out to her as she left.  When they were outside where Rei couldn't hear, she asked, "So, are you giving up on Diro?"

            The blonde smiled and looked down.  "Rei seemed pretty upset about what those guys told us.  I thought maybe I should give her a chance to figure out her feelings."

            "That's pretty mature, Mina-chan."  Makoto added.  "It's not like you at all!"

            "That's mean!  I am a love goddess after all!"  She smiled and took two tickets out of her pocket.  "It's a shame that these are going to go to waste, though."

            "What is it?"  Usagi asked, looking over the girl's shoulder.

            She sighed.  "I was going to have you lure Rei away while I convinced Diro to see this movie with me."  She handed the tickets to her friend.

            "That was your big plan?"  The pigtailed girl looked at them and her face contorted in shock and embarrassment.  Minako!  This is an adult film!"

            "Yeah," The girl replied, wistfully.  "I was kinda hoping that'd get Diro-kun in the mood, but I guess you and Mamoru can use them!"  She winked and placed her forefinger on the girl's nose.  "Just be sure to let me in on all the juicy details!"

            Usagi looked at her bright red boyfriend as she realized exactly what the bubbly blonde meant.  She turned and screamed, "Minako!"

            Rei Hino hugged her legs closer with every passing minute.  Her face had been red the entire time Diro was held up in the bath.  She sat on the edge of his bed and her heart raced as she waited for him.

            Taking a look around, she was reminded of how shortly she had known him.  So recent was his arrival that there were still some boxes stacked in a corner and even more continued to be delivered.  He had a few weapons and training equipment leaning against a wall, some anime posters adorned the room, and a picture stood on a small nightstand nearby.

            Instinctively, the girl picked it up and looked at it.  A younger boy, of about twelve or thirteen years held up a black belt in triumph.  His face was bruised and swollen, but his open-mouth smile seemed to envelop half his head.  Behind him, two elderly Japanese people stood smiling serenely.  One, the old man, was bruised a little less than the boy but was brimming with pride as he looked down upon him.  The other, an old woman, wore a traditional kimono and held a parasol as she patted his head.

            "That's me when I made first dan of Bushin Ninjitsu."

            Rei gasped and looked to see Diro wearing nothing but a pair of denim shorts, drying the water from his ears.  She flushed and looked down.  "I-I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to intrude."

            "Don't be silly."  He chastened and sat down next to her.  "This is your house.  I'm just a guest."

            "Are you so casual that you don't even care for your own privacy?"  She teased.

            "You should know by now."  He stated and lied back.  "So what's up?"

            The girl resisted the urge to touch his bare abdominal muscles and turned her face away from the temptation.  "I was just wondering if you were alright, is all."

            "To be honest, I'm stiff, sore, and tired."

            "Well, you had a full day."  She commented.  The girl searched her mind for something to say to break the silence between them.  "So, uh, how old were you in that picture?"

            "Couldn't tell you."  He answered almost immediately.  "I'm not sure exactly how old I was back then."  He sat back up and stared in front of him for a moment.  "Come to think of it, I wonder how old I am right now."

            Rei voiced her surprise and leaned forward to look him in the eye.  "You mean you don't know how old you are?!"

            He shook his head.  "Never knew my parents, so I don't know when I was born.  All I know is that my grandparents found me on their doorstep when I was an infant.  Quaint, huh?"

            "Oh Diro, that's horrible!"  She squealed, thinking to herself that perhaps the knights were telling the truth.

            "It's not so bad."  He replied, yawning and lied back down.  "My grandparents took me in and taught me all about the martial arts.  Not many people can say that."

            "Still it sounds sad."  She said, still looking forward.  "I lost my mother and I rarely see my father, but I least I knew them."  She looked back down at Diro and noticed that his eyes were closed and his breathing changed.  She crept closer and leant over him, staring right into his face.  "Diro-kun?  Are you asleep?"

            The girl inspected his expressionless face and smiled.  She thought he looked cute and defenseless in his sleep.  Her eyes fell to his lips and she blushed at the thought that ran through her mind.

            Closing her eyes, she slowly lowered her face to his.  As she puckered her lips, the sleeping boy shifted his weight and turned over.  She gasped as his arm independently reached around her waist and pulled her body down next to his.  Rei stared wide-eyed into his face and tried to move.  Somehow, her legs had become entwined with his and their bodies seemed to meld together.

            The girl calmed herself and accepted her situation.  She nuzzled closer to him and rested her head on his arm.  She smiled as she drifted away to sleep.  She whispered, "I love you, Diro."

Author's Notes

I don't really have much to say this time except that I'm almost done with chapter 11.  Yay!  It's really just about halfway through, but I know pretty much exactly what I'm gonna do with it.  So, I dunno, I was thinkin' about maybe not uploading that chapter for a while so that I can make some headway on 12.  What do you guys think?  Y'know since 11 ends in such a cool cliffhanger.  But let me know and I'll do whatever.

Oh, yeah!  I just remembered!  The first season of "Alf" comes out on DVD next week!  I loved that show as a kid.  Make sure you buy it!

The Rockstar Prince of Crossovers


	7. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 7

"And as you can see," The English sensei, Mizuho, turned to the chalkboard, continuing her lecture. "If you want to create a sentence with two or more subjects, simply place a semicolon between them like this." She wrote on the board, "_John and Alice went to town; they bought a new car_." Turning back to the class, she asked, "Does anyone have a question?"

"Where did they put my couch?" A sleeping student mumbled.

Mizuho looked at the student and giggled. "Could somebody please wake up Kotaishi-kun?"

The bored student sitting next to him flipped a few paper wads at his head. "C'mon, Kotaishi. If I gotta sit through this, so do you."

The boy stirred and slowly lifted his head. "Ugh, Saotome? Whuzzup?"

"You've just slept through class, that's what's up." The sensei answered. "I know you're bi-lingual, Kotaishi-kun, but if you can't learn anything, you could at least help out." She looked at the pony tailed boy sitting next to him and smiled at the thought that crossed her mind. "As punishment for sleeping, I am going to have you tutor Saotome Ranma."

"What?!" Both boys erupted and Diro said, "But Sensei, I don't have time to…"

"I don't need no tutor, teach!" The pony tailed one interrupted. "Why're you pickin' on me? He's the one who was sleeping!"

"That may be true, Saotome-kun, but I've noticed your grades have been slipping. I see this as a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone!" The red-headed teacher giggled and looked at her watch. "It seems that we've run out of time. I'll check up on you two later, for now just enjoy your lunch!"

The two looked at each other and sighed. Mizuho giggled again as she made her way to the classroom door. She slid it open and saw a blonde girl standing on the other side.

"Konnichiwa, Mizuho-sensei!" The cheerful girl greeted. "Is the sophomore class out for lunch now?"

"We've just finished, Aino-san, was it?" She waited for the girl to nod in recognition of the name. "You're one of Kotaishi-kun's friends aren't you? Can you tell me why he's been so tired lately?"

"Well, uh, he's getting ready for a competition. It's really important to him, so he's been spending all of his spare time on it." She sighed and rested her cheek in her hand. "It's like he doesn't even have time for me these days!"

Mizuho looked down at her with a maternal smile. "I'm afraid he may have even less time for a while. I just sentenced him to tutoring a rogue student in English."

Minako tilted her head to the side. "How come?" She asked.

"I caught the poor thing sleeping in class. I hope my punishment won't be too much for him. Saotome-kun can be a handful at times." She bowed slightly to the girl. "Please apologize to Kotaishi-kun for me, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." She bowed deeply as the sensei walked away. The girl peeked inside the classroom to find Diro. Seeing that he had his back turned, she giggled to herself and snuck inside. Taking a deep breath, she threw her arms around his neck and affectionately sqealed, "Diro!"

Choking under her grasp, he said in a hoarse voice, "What's up, Minako-chan?"

"I want you to come have lunch with me and the others." She answered bluntly.

He moved her arms to give himself room to breathe. "I'd love to, but now I have to organize some tutoring sessions with this punk."

Minako looked at the lounging boy in front of them. He had a short ponytail and wore Chinese style clothes, somewhat out of place in the high school. "You must be that rogue student Mizuho-sensei was talking about. My name's Minako, what's yours?"

"God, did she really call me that?" The boy muttered. "The name's Saotome Ranma. How's it goin'?"

"Great!" She bubbled. "Are you sure you can't join us, Diro?"

He gave her a mockingly sad smile. "Sorry, no."

"Okay." She sighed and placed her forefinger on the tip of his nose. "But you have to promise to make it up to me!"

Reeling back, he chuckled nervously. "Sure, anything you want!"

"Anything?" She asked. The boy gulped and nodded. "Oh thank you, Diro! I'll find something really fun for us to do! You won't regret it!"

He grimaced as he waved her off. "Somehow I doubt that!"

Ranma grinned. "She's cute. Your girl?"

"My what? No, she's just a friend." He scratched the back of his head. "She may be cute but she's also kinda needy."

"Still, it must be nice t'have a chick like that around." He turned to a short haired girl standing by the window. "Hey Akane, why can't you act like that more often?"

She scowled at him and spat, "Just die, Ranma!"

He leaned back in his chair and muttered, "Yeah, what would a tomboy like you know about bein' cute any…" The pony tailed boy stopped short as a flying desk collided with his head.

Diro watched his body twitch on the ground. He rested his head in his hands and sighed. "Oh yeah, this is time _very_ well spent."

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Makoto looked up as Minako entered the classroom. "Did Diro-kun not want to have lunch with us?"

"He was too busy." She answered shortly. "He got in trouble and now he has to tutor some guy in English."

"Is he cute?" The taller one asked instinctively.

Minako considered it and said, "kinda, yeah."

Ami giggled quietly. "Honestly, it always has to be about boys with you two. Don't you ever think of anything else?"

"Like you don't ever think about boys, Ami-chan!" Usagi teased and elbowed her in the ribs.

"Yeah Ami-chan, I've seen the way you've been makin' googly-eyes at Diro-kun and that guy in the sophomore class!" Makoto insisted.

Minako snuck up behind her and tickled her neck. "Don't get any ecchi ideas, Ami-chan. I've got dibs on Diro-kun!"

The girl giggled and tried to escape her friend's attack. "C'mon Mina-chan! I thought you were giving up on Diro-kun!"

She draped her arms over Ami's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "When did I ever say that?"

"Don't you remember what you said a couple weeks ago?"

"No." She answered bluntly. "What'd I say?"

"You said that you were gonna give Rei a chance to figure out her feelings!" Usagi pointed out.

Minako considered it and said, "Well, she's had a few weeks so I think it's only fair that I step in and claim what's rightfully mine!"

Mizuho chuckled quietly as she watched the group from afar. "It would seem that those four are more than just good friends of our young prince." She whispered to herself. "I'd like to see just how 'close' I can make them!"

"Hey, I've got an idea!" The teacher was brought out of her musings as Makoto spoke up. "It's gotten warm enough to swim now, so why don't we take Diro-kun to the beach?"

"The beach?" Minako thought aloud. "That would mean we'd get to see Diro in swimming trunks…or maybe even a Speedo!"

Ami put a tissue over the girl's face. "Mina-chan, you're nose is bleeding!" She turned to the others. "Wouldn't it interfere with Diro-kun's training to take a day off?"

"Not really." Usagi chimed. "I talked to him the other day and he said that he was almost ready."

"Besides, it's not healthy to go straight into a fight without being relaxed." Makoto added.

Minako sported a wide smile and said, "So it's settled. The day before the tournament we'll drag Diro-kun to Yokohama with us!"

"Are you sure you can convince him to come, Mina-chan?" Ami asked.

"Of course!" She replied enthusiastically. "Who on earth could resist my charm? Besides, he said he owed me one for skipping out on lunch today!"

"The Yokohama beach, huh?" Mizuho mused. "This could be interesting!" She giggled and walked off to her next class.

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"I can't believe I let that girl talk me into that!" Diro exclaimed as he walked behind Ranma and Akane.

"Well, she did seem rather insistent." Akane commented.

"Stop whining, Kotaishi. It sounds like fun. At least you won't havta put up with a violent chick like Akane here."

"Says you." He returned. "Once Sakura catches wind of our little trip, she'll wanna come. And I'll bet a thousand yen that she's twice as violent as your fiancée!"

The girl's eye twitched. "If you two don't shut up, I'll show you just how violent I can be!"

The boys backed away and held their hands up in defense. Diro said, "Sorry, Tendo-san. I didn't mean anything by it!"

Ranma said, "Yeah, c'mon Akane! Don't flip out on us!"

She turned her nose up in the air and stormed off. I can't stand boys!"

Diro blinked a few times as he watched her stomp away. He turned to Ranma and asked, "Shouldn't we go after her?"

"Nah," He replied. "She's always doin' stuff like this. Tch, she's just a bratty tomboy that only wants to get her way 'n beat me up in the process."

"Be that as it may, you two are engaged and should try to get along, right?"

The pony-tailed one spat. "It wasn't my damn idea! Our stupid parents decided for us. If I had it my way, I'd still be in China tryin' to find a cure for…" He stopped himself from saying anything more.

"A cure for what?"

"Nothin'." Ranma insisted. "Let's just get this tutoring session over with!"

"Uh, sure." He returned confused. The two walked the rest of the way in silence. As they approached Ranma's home, Diro read the sign out front. "Tendo School of Indiscriminate Grappling? This is the dojo of Anything Goes Martial Arts!"

"That surprise you?"

"Yeah! I mean, I had you pegged as a martial artist but I had no idea you and Akane practiced Anything Goes!" He thought for a moment and grinned. "Hey, how about you'n me have a little match?"

"A match?" He flashed a cocky grin. "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"Well, I've studied Bushin ninjitsu my entire life." He insisted. "I think that should be just about enough to contend with Indiscriminate Grappling!"

The boy chuckled at his challenge. "Sounds fun. Who wants to study anyway?"

"Totally." He raised his fist in front of his new friend's face. "Lead the way, Saotome!"

They walked around the house to the dojo just to the side. Along the way, Diro stalled when he saw a large panda sipping at some hot green tea. The animal spotted him and gave him a peace sign. He shook his head and thought to himself that perhaps he'd been working too hard.

"In here." Ranma slid open the door walked in, kicking off his shoes just inside the doorway.

Diro followed his lead and asked, "How you wanna do this? Close or long range?"

"How 'bout we start off with a charge?"

"If you insist." A cocky grin crossed the young ninja's face. He took his stance and waited for Ranma's signal that he was ready. "Hajime!"

The two sprinted toward each other at a steadily increasing speed. When he neared his opponent, Diro leapt forward and performed a Bushin Senpukyaku, in which he extended his leg as he spun completely in midair. Ranma, however, rolled beneath his attack and grabbed the other boy's hair, jerking him to the ground.

"Ouch!" Diro groaned as he stood. "Foul! C'mon Saotome, what's with that?"

He ran his finger under his nose and chuckled somewhat sadistically. "It's Anything Goes, Kotaishi."

The other laughed with him. "So that's how it's gonna be? Okay, we'll play by your rules!"

A pure white cat watched as the long-haired teen rammed his head into the other boy's face. He mewed somewhat confused by the events that had taken place. Minako had told her guardian everything she knew from her encounter with the Divine Knights, as Usagi had done with Luna. Since then, the two had consorted to watch over the supposed prince of Alundar. Neither of them remembered an alliance with this kingdom, but then there were many secrets of their former lives that they had yet to unlock.

"He doesn't really look like he has any regal blood in him at all!" Artemis mused. "And he certainly doesn't show it in his actions. But then, Usagi is the neo-princess Serenity and she acts more like a child than a princess."

From his side, he received a few oinks as a response. The cat turned to see his unwitting companion. A small, black piglet wearing a yellow and black polka dotted bandana looked back at him. Its eyes widened and it ran away squealing after realizing it was sitting next to a talking cat. Artemis simply shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to the fight.

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"Mamo-chan!" Usagi squealed and hugged him around the neck. She whispered in his ear, "Did Luna or Artemis know anything about our situation?"

"They're looking into it." He whispered back and turned to the rest of the crowd. "C'mon, the train's about to leave!"

They all crowded in the door and found their respective seats. As usual, Rei took her place at Diro's side, and Minako found another seat next to him. Usagi grasped onto her boyfriend's arm while Sakura shared gossip with Makoto and Ami absorbed herself into her compact computer.

"So how have things been going with that guy you're tutoring, Diro?" Rei asked after situating herself.

The boy laughed out of embarrassment. "To be honest, we haven't really studied at all. We've primarily spent most of our time fighting."

"You mean like Rei and Usagi?" Minako asked.

"More like me 'n Sakura." He corrected. "This guy's an awesome martial artist. We're pretty much an even match! I've considered it to be great training, and it gets me away from those three freaks that've started to hang around me."

Rei giggled. "They are pretty weird." She agreed. "What was that guy's name again? Saotome Ranma?"

"Saotome?" Ami asked and looked up from her computer. "That guy in Diro-kun's class with the braided ponytail?"

"You know 'im?" Diro asked.

Makoto's eyes gleamed and she said, "Ami's had her eye on someone in your class, Diro-kun. Is this Ranma the guy, Ami-chan?" She elbowed the blushing girl in the ribs.

"Izzat so?" He asked. "Well, y'know, I asked him if he wanted to come along, but he said he's not good around water for some reason. But anyway, you shouldn't get your hopes up for Ranma. He's kinda engaged."

"Yeah, but I heard it wasn't his decision. It's supposedly an arranged engagement that neither of them agreed to." She returned timidly.

"Yeah, that's true." He considered. "They don't really seem to get along. I guess I can try to set somethin' up if you want."

"But Saotome still has some other girls fighting for his attention." Sakura pointed out. "If you wanna get in on the action you're gonna need to learn how to fight." She thought for a moment and her eyes lit up. "Okay! I'll teach you everything I know!"

Diro said, "Um, I don't think that's such a good id-"

"If you do that then I'll have to be there for damage control!" Makoto interrupted. "Ami-chan's not used to practicing martial arts."

Ami began, "But I really don't want to-"

"Then it's settled!" Sakura interrupted. "With your Kung Fu skills and my knowledge of Shotokan, we'll make Ami more than a match for those other girls!"

Diro said, "Hey c'mon, seriously you shouldn't-"

Minako grabbed his arm and squealed. "Oh, Diro-kun, isn't it romantic that Ami's going to learn to fight for her heart's desire?"

Ami started, "But I'm not-"

"And what exactly do you think you're doing, Minako?" Rei interrupted and grabbed his other arm. "Don't you think you're getting a little fresh with Diro-kun?"

Diro grimaced. "But it's nothing like-"

"Come now, Rei-chan." Usagi said, waving her hand in a dismissing manner. "Surely there's enough of Diro-kun to go around!"

"Butt out meatball-head!" She shouted back. "Like you're ever willing to share Mamoru!"

Mamoru blinked in confusion. "Share me? What are you-"

"That's different!" The pigtailed girl insisted. "Mamo-chan is my boyfriend. So until one of you claims Diro-kun, he's up for grabs!"

"Up for grabs?" He repeated. "Are you trying to say-"

"She's trying to say that until I make him my boyfriend, you have to share!" Minako shot at Rei.

"That is by far the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" The raven-haired girl demanded and stuck out her tongue. Minako followed in suit, resulting in a battle of raspberries between several of the girls lasting the entirety of the trip.

When the train had come to rest and the girls exited, Diro looked at the taller man next to him and asked, "Exactly how long have you put up with this?"

With a half-smiling half-cringing expression, he answered, "It's had to have been years now."

The boy whistled in amazement. "May I call you sensei?"

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"We're here!" Usagi squealed in delight. "And look, the beach is practically deserted!"

The group scanned the area, noting the very few people present. One figure, a well-built man in a red karate gi with long blonde hair caught the attention of Diro and Sakura.

"That couldn't possibly be…" The boy started.

"Ken!!!" Sakura squealed and ran up to him, leaving her friends behind.

They watched as she, with no sense of humility, tackled him and hugged him around the neck. As the two conversed in the distance, Mamoru asked, "So, who is that guy exactly?"

Diro ran his hand over his recently braided hair. "That's Ken Masters, the all-American champion of martial arts. He studied with Sakura's idol, Ryu. I didn't know she was on such close terms with him." He said wistfully and slowly walked toward them.

The senshi gave each other quizzical looks and followed him. As they approached, Ken looked their way and, after a brief moment of consideration, his eyes widened with recognition. "Diro Kotaishi?" He asked in amazement, and instantly took on a friendlier expression. He said in English, "What are you doing here? How long has it been? Two? Three years?"

"A little over three." The boy answered and punched his knuckles. "I assume you're here for the tournament."

"And pass up the chance to finally beat Ryu? There's no way I'd stay home! What about you? Don't tell me that Kunio actually gave you permission to participate in the street fights."

Diro looked down with a small, sad smile. "He didn't. I'm here of my own volition."

Ken leaned forward with an accusing grin. "You always were the first to break the rules, weren't you kid? How is the old man anyway?"

He shook his head and plastered an unconvincing expression of wistfulness on his face. "You really need to check up on your friends more often. Grampa died three years ago and Grandma didn't last but a year and a half after that."

Ken's teasing demeanor dropped immediately upon hearing the news. "How? Kunio was always so robust. What could have possibly happened to him?"

"Vega." He answered bluntly. "He wanted to test his Spanish Ninjitsu against our Bushin style. I got involved and got this scar." He ran his hand over the right side of his face. "Grampa pushed me outta the way before Vega took my eye, but he left himself open and…"

Sensing his emotional turmoil, Minako grabbed his arm looked up into his face. "Diro-kun, what's wrong?"

The boy composed himself and gazed back into his friend's beautiful blue orbs. Switching to Japanese, he said, "Nothing's wrong. I was just telling Ken a really old story, that's all."

"And so you've entered the tournament to try and make things right, huh?" Ken asked.

"That's partly true." He agreed. "But I feel if I don't do something, Vega's rampage may never end. That bastard even tried to make a move on Usagi." He jerked his head in her direction. "I gotta take him out before someone else gets hurt."

"When the threat to the world arises, so shall the shadow of Bushin." He quoted. "Guy would be proud of your spirit."

"The heir of Bushin." He mused and looked at his friends. He squeezed Minako's hand and smiled. "Ever since he received that title I've wanted to train with him. But now, I think I have other plans."

Ken laughed lightly. "So you've become a ladies man? You remind me of myself at your age!"

"Don't be so insulting!" Diro teased. "These girls have become as much a family to me as I've ever had. I'm fighting Vega tomorrow for their sake."

"Well, good luck. I need a little more training before then, but I'll see you at the tournament." Ken punched the boy's arm and walked off.

Sakura watched him for a moment and turned around to face the others. "Hey guys, I think I'm gonna go train with Ken for a while, okay?" She looked over the girls real quick and flashed Diro a shy smile. He nodded back and watched her run after Ken.

Makoto watched with starry eyes and said, "Diro, why didn't you tell me you knew such a gorgeous hunk?"

He groaned. "He's married, Mako-chan."

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A red-haired woman watched as the teens played on the beach. She took careful note of the girls that gathered around the long-haired boy. She chuckled to herself about the mischief she intended to cause. Choosing her targets, she pulled out a thin pipe from her cleavage, put one end between her lips and took a deep breath.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Mizuho?" A sudden voice demanded from behind.

Surprised, the woman gasped, swallowing a small tack. "Melchior! Don't do that!" She choked as she turned around. "Oh no! I've swallowed it! This is all your fault, you jerk! You've just screwed up my plans to…take you home with me and make you my love slave!"

His eye twitched at her sudden change in demeanor. "What was in that pipe?"

"A love potion." She answered and scooted closer to him. "I was going to shoot it at that blonde girl and see how the prince would react to the results. But then you came along, you adorable demon, you!"

The knight groaned. "You always were an idiot. I'm taking you back with me."

"I'd follow you to the end of the universe, my love!" Mizuho squealed as she clung to his waist.

Melchior muttered, "If this is what the prince goes through with those girls, I don't envy him."

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Diro stood on a dock, watching the waves crash on the shore. He had been able to sneak away from the group as Makoto prepared their meal. He thought about the fun he had over the course of the day. How he and the girls built and knocked down each other's sand castles, and how Ami beat them all racing through the water. He had even been able to get to know Mamoru better by teaching him some of the basics of Bushin.

"Oh here you are, Diro." A voice brought him out of his reverie.

He turned to see Rei smiling at him. She had changed out of her bathing suit and into a pair of shorts and a red t-shirt. "What's up, Rei?" He asked.

"Makoto's finished with our food. If we don't hurry, the meatball-head will eat it all before we get there. What are you doing out here all alone, anyway?"

"Just thinking." He answered. "I'm going to that tournament tomorrow, and I've decided that I don't want you anywhere near it."

She blinked a few times, confused by his decision. "Huh? Why? I wanted to see you fight. We were all going to go together."

"I know, but I don't want you to watch me." He leaned back and avoided looking in her eyes. "It's going to be very violent, I could even get killed. Or, I may kill someone myself. You have no idea how these things are, it's nothing like any other martial arts tournament. These guys are out for blood! It's not even safe in the audience. Fights are always breaking out and I just don't want you or the others to get hurt."

"I see." She started, somewhat disappointed. "But, if it's so dangerous, why do you have to go? And what about Sakura? She's going to be there!"

"Sakura has participated in the tournaments before. She's a martial artist, she knows what to expect. Besides, she has a reason for being there, just as I do." He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Please Rei, just trust me on this. I don't want any of you girls to get hurt. You…you're like a sister to me."

She gasped and yielded to his embrace. "Just a sister?" She whispered to herself and let her tears flow into his wet shirt. "Okay, I trust you, Diro. I love you, niisan."

Diro nestled his face into her dark hair. "I love you too, imouto-chan."

Author's Notes:

I was just looking over this chapter and I found like half a million typos! Wow, I'm gonna have to be more careful in the future! Right, so one of you guys mentioned something about the way I write the names of the characters. I just recently decided to write the Japanese names in the Japanese way (last name first) and Western names the Western way. So you may notice a few inaccuracies here and there. But, yeah keep the criticisms comin' man, they make for better writing.

See you next week,

The Rockstar Prince of Crossovers


	8. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 8

The Shadow Knight, Melchior, scowled as he approached the tournament's entry desk. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but Diro refused to learn his talents. The prince boasted the knowledge of numerous martial arts styles, but he insisted that Bushin Ninjitsu was the only one he would practice. He claimed that defeating Vega with his grandfather's style was the best way for him to honor his memory. Truly, his intent was admirable, but foolish. If only he had bothered to benefit from the Knights' training instead of running around with Ranma, Melchior could avoid entering the tournament himself.

Unfortunately, Diro had his father's defiance. The boy would not be swayed when he made a decision. That trait could possibly make him a strong king, given that he accepted his position. Presently, he denied the fact that he had a father. If King Valcrist expected to bring his son into his life, he would be hard-pressed.

"You did what?!" He heard a young man's voice demand. He turned around to see Ranma Saotome arguing with his father. He watched the boy on occasion when spying on the prince and, in his humble opinion, found the pony-tailed one to be little more than an annoyance and a bad influence.

"I said I entered you in the competition." An older man in a white gi stated. This is a perfect opportunity for you to test you skills."

"But what right do you have to sign me up, pop?!" Ranma insisted.

"Do you mean to say that you're too afraid to compete? Whining like that will not make you manly! I weep for you, Ranma!"

The boy growled and a vein popped out on his forehead. "Give it a rest, old man!" He grumbled.

Melchior shook his head and walked away. He mused that this meant he may have to defeat Diro's best friend. If that was the case, then so be it. Although he disliked it, he would even defeat Vega if necessary. His primary concern in this tournament was the prince's safety; anything else was a liability to his mission.

He found Diro in the crowded lobby. The boy wore his grandfather's gi. It comprised of a black top, loose, black pants and a long sash that was tied around his waist. His arms were bandaged in athletic tape, which concealed a few shuriken in case of an emergency.

"So you came after all." The boy said, noticing Melchior. "I thought I told you to stay away from me and the tournament."

"There are greater things at stake here than your death feud." Melchior replied. "I cannot say for certain at the moment, but I must keep you safe until the time comes."

"Whatever. Now's not the time for your riddles, Mel. I'd suggest you warm up, because if I meet you in the first round, I'm takin' you out."

The knight took note of his present temperament. It was completely natural to become gruff and unfriendly before a fight, also the prince had yet to accept him as an ally. It was not unexpected. The Divine Knights acted with purpose, not out of peace and kindness as had the Sailor Senshi. Perhaps this was the flaw that had allowed the moon kingdom to fall in the first place.

Diro eyed him coldly as he nodded subtly and walked away. He felt a small pang of guilt for his harsh words, but knew his contempt was not entirely uncalled for. When he first met Melchior and the others, Balthazar and Gaspar, they had challenged him to a fight. That in itself wasn't too far out of the ordinary for him. With his unique lifestyle, that of a street fighter, he faced many unknown challenges. But those guys were different. He felt something of an alien aura around them, and suspected that they were hiding something from him.

The boy returned to his warm up exercises. This day would prove to be particularly grueling. The span of the tournament was to last one entire day, whereas previous ones tended to last a number of days. By the time the day was over, all fighters would be pushed beyond exhaustion. It would seem that this tournament was as much a display of endurance as skill.

"You seem like you're in a chipper mood." Sakura noted sarcastically from his side.

Diro looked over at her. In his focus on the tournament he had forgotten she was next to him. "Guess I'm just nervous."

"You? Nervous?" She asked incredulously. "Now that doesn't sound much like the Diro I know! What happened to the 'I love a good fight' attitude?"

"That's usually your outlook." He clarified.

"Aww, c'mon, Diro-kun!" She bounced in front of him. "This is gonna be fun!"

The boy looked back into her eyes and cracked a smile. Sakura had a talented of bringing things into a simple perspective. Besides, fighting was, in an almost morbid way, fun.

"Careful, Kotaishi." A voice from the side called out. "Being that close to anther girl might make your other girlfriends jealous."

"Saotome?" He asked and smirked to the side. "Did you come all this way just to mess with my mind, man?"

The boy chuckled slightly. "Also t' keep an eye on you. Whadya think you're doin' flirting with Sakura, huh?" He put the other boy in a headlock and tapped him with a knuckle. "What about that Rei chick? I know about you and her spending the night together a few weeks back!" He teased.

"I told you, I was asleep at the time!" Diro insisted. "I just woke up and she was in my bed! Nothing happened, dammit!" He saw the pony-tailed boy ignoring his rant and changed the subject. "So what are you doing here anyway? This lobby is reserved for competitors only."

His face twisted into a brief sour look. "Guess I'm in the right place, then. I planned on watching you two get the crap beat outta you, but my damned old man went n' signed me up to fight."

Diro was about to offer his faux sympathies when a man made an announcement from a podium in a corner. "Welcome, street fighters to the thirty-second annual tourney meet! Many of you have been here before and know what to expect, but for those of you who are new I'll explain a few things before we get started. First: the rules. Basically this is an underground tournament so just about anything goes. However, we do request that use of weapons be limited and that all participants try to avoid killing if at all possible. It's not that we frown upon it nor endorse it, but we prefer to keep things clean.

"Second: pairing of fighters. If you will look to the projection behind me, you will see that we have randomly assigned fights to take place in the first round. Of course, we operate on a scale of advancement. The winners of the first round will continue on to fight in the second round and so forth.

"Third: medical attention and resting between battles. After each fight, all competitors are required to check in with our quite capable medical staff. Likewise, you are all required to rest at least a half hour between matches. These rules are as much for your safety as they are for the spectators' entertainment and our wallets. The first match will commence in fifteen minutes, please be ready by then."

As the announcer stepped down; the fighters crowded around the projection on the wall. Various names and profiles were lined up on the bottom of the screen. Diro and Sakura paled as they saw the names in the first block: Ken Masters vs. Ryu.

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Sailor Mars walked on the concourse along side the chain fence that separated the spectators form the arena. Behind her followed the rest of the senshi and Tuxedo Mask. They looked around at the spectators which appeared to vary from business men, mobsters, and lowlifes. Mercury spoke up, "Are you sure we should be here, Mars? Diro-kun forbade us from coming for a reason."

"He said that we girls couldn't come because it was dangerous. He never said anything about the senshi." She corrected.

"Mars is right." Jupiter agreed. "We have to cheer on our friends, and I'll bet there'll be a lot of hunks here!" She winked.

Sailor Mercury could have groaned. She was used to her friend's infatuation with men, but at times she appeared to have a one track mind. "Still, I hope he doesn't get mad at us."

"How can he?" Mars asked. "He has no idea about our secret identities!"

"This is true, but if he wanted to learn what we had to teach, he would have figured it out in time." Balthazar, clad in white street clothes, interjected.

Sailor Mars squealed and jumped to the side. "Stop sneaking up on us like that!" She fumed.

The knight laughed. "My apologies, Lady Mars. Would you mind terribly if Gaspar and I joined you?"

She snorted. "Do whatever you like." The senshi turned toward the arena and wrapped her fingers around the fence as someone entered the ring. A tall man in a business suit stood in the center of the arena. He carried a microphone and appeared to be of great importance, possibly even a yakuza.

He lifted the microphone to his mouth and spoke in a loud clear voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our thirty-second street fighting tourney meet! I'd like you to turn your attention to the center of the ring as we begin our opening bout!" His words were met by a flood of applause and cheers from the audience. The announcer raised his voice to increase their excitement. "For your pleasure, we have two of the greatest fighters in the world to start things off! They trained in the same dojo under the same sensei, please welcome the wandering street fighter Ryu and the All-American Martial Arts Champion Ken Masters!"

The two fighters entered from opposite sides of the arena, both walked with a strong and purposeful gait. Even Ken, having been known a boastful exhibitionist had a serious, yet slightly anxious expression on his face. They met where the retreating announcer had formerly been standing and grabbed one another's hands in greeting.

"It's about time we finally faced off, too long in fact." Ken said. "I've been training hard for this moment, buddy, and I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Yeah, me too." The other answered lamely, yet with a friendly tone.

"We'll catch up later, Ryu." Ken continued. "Right now we've got a score to settle. What'ya say?"

Ryu nodded and took his stance within an arm's length of his opponent, and Ken did likewise. They stared at each other for a moment to gauge their comparative progress until the announcer signaled the beginning of the match. "Hajime!"

The fighters each quickly stepped forward. Ryu threw a punch to his opponent's chest, who dodged and countered with a knee-strike to the ribs. He then grabbed Ken's leg and hopped up to deliver a quick roundhouse to the side of his head.

Ken stumbled back a few steps and shook his head. He dashed toward Ryu and rolled behind him for a leg sweep. Ryu caught his fall with his hands and flipped away to stare down his opponent.

"You've gotten better." He said.

"So've you." Ken wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. He went back into his stance and said, "Shall we?"

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"Oh no! It's already started!" Sakura squealed as she ran along the concourse, dragging Diro and Ranma behind her. "Hurry up or we'll miss the match of the century!"

"Jeez, is it really that big a deal?" Ranma asked as he stumbled behind the girl and tried to yank his wrist from her grip. "It's just the crummy opening bout."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks causing the others to stumble over her. She lifted Ranma up by his shirt collar and yelled, "The opening bout between two of the greatest street fighters on the planet! It's _not_ crummy!"

Diro stood up and rubbed his head. "Sakura, warn me the next time you come to a sudden stop, will ya?" He looked into the crowd and saw a familiar face gasp and hide behind someone. "Eh? Was that Minako?"

"Wait! Kotaishi, help me out here will ya?" Ranma called out as the young ninja walked away paying little attention to the ensuing battle.

Diro pushed his way through the crowd to find the group of girls. "I thought I told you girls not to-" He stopped mid-sentence when he looked at them. "The Sailor Senshi? What are you guys doing here?"

Sailor Venus squealed and hugged him around the neck. "Diro-kun! Did you think we were someone else?" She quickly stuck her tongue out at Mars and turned back to look at him.

"As a matter of fact, yeah. You all look so much like these other girls I know, it's almost frightening."

Sailor Mars pried Venus away from him and imposed herself between them. "We heard that you were going to be competing today so we decided to come watch."

"Really?" He said. "How'd you hear that?"

Before she could answer, Sakura ran up, dragging Ranma by the cuff of his shirt. "Diro! Diro! You're gonna miss it!"

"What?"

"Just look!" She pointed to the ring as Ken and Ryu charged up their respective ki energy.

"What?!" He demanded incredulously. "They can't!"

"They are." She assured him. "They're gonna pit hadou against hadou!"

"No way! That's insane!" Ranma looped his fingers through the chain link fence and stared intently at the fighters. "I've heard of what happens when fighters do this. This ain't gonna be pretty!"

They watched the two combatants stare each other down as their unseen energy forced dust and sand to the corners of the arena in large clouds. A bright light emanated from each of them as their muscles strained to hold their bodies together. They screamed through the pain as they released their pent up energy.

"Oh shit!" Diro yelled and turned to his friends. "Get down _now_!" He instinctively grabbed two of the girls closest to him, Sakura and Sailor Mars, and threw them to the ground, protecting them with his body. Ranma followed his example by grabbing Mercury and Venus, while Tuxedo Mask protected the others with his cape.

The two Divine Knights raised their hands and chanted in a strange language. As Ken and Ryu shouted the triggers to release their energy, an invisible wall of magic protected part of the audience. The rest of the crowd, however, were all knocked over and pushed into various piles.

"Jesus!" Diro exclaimed. "What the hell were those two thinking?"

"I guess they just decided to go all out 'n give the audience a good show." Ranma suggested.

"I don't think so," Sakura pondered. "It was probably the only way to finish the match. Y'know, cause they're both pretty much an even match." She then looked up at Diro and giggled. "You can get off of me now, Diro-kun."

The boy stumbled to his feet and let them get up on their own. He rubbed the back of his head and blushed slightly. "Uh, sorry about that." He looked around and then said, "I was expecting a bigger blast. What happened?"

Balthazar chuckled quietly. "Well, we couldn't possibly let any harm come to our friends, now could we?"

"We set up a deflection wall." Gaspar explained. "It's something of a mixture of light and magic that blocks all energy."

"So I guess you guys are good for something after all." Sailor Mars mused. She then looked away to the side, almost as though she was ashamed. "Thanks."

Sailor Jupiter brushed herself off as she and Sailor Moon emerged from Tuxedo Mask's protective cape. "Hey, look! The dust is clearing!"

The crowd looked up to see a medic crew tending to both of the fighters who were lying unconscious on the ground. They consulted the announcer who considered the situation and then addressed the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after that stunning battle, we have an interesting turn of events! Both of our competitors are unable to continue in the tournament! Therefore, the victor of the next match will automatically proceed to the semi-finals!" He waited for the cheer of the audience to die down before continuing. "Will the next fighters please report to the ring! Chun Li and Ranma Saotome!"

"What is this?" Ranma demanded. "I can't fight a girl!"

"If you don't fight and win you'll be out of the tournament, Ranma-kun." Sakura said, with a slight sing-song tone.

"Ranma!" A loud voice demanded from behind him. "What kind of a man would back out of a fight?"

The boy jumped and said, "Jeez, pop! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Get out there boy, or else!" He held up a bucket of cold water as a threat.

Ranma quickly backed away. "Alright, alright! I'm going! I'm going!"

Before he reached the fence, Sailor Mercury stopped him and cleared her throat. "Um, Saotome-san?" She flushed as he turned around. "Thank you for protecting me. And, well…" She shook her head and smiled sweetly. "Ganbatte ne! (Good luck)"

He grinned and nimbly leapt over the fence and walked up to the announcer. "Yo, I'm Ranma Saotome. Let's get this over with."

They waited for a few moments before the other competitor showed, a pretty Chinese woman dressed in a tight-fitting blue outfit. She walked with a seductive feminine gait and stopped just a few paces from her opponent. She looked at Ranma with an expressionless face and said, "I am Chun Li. I'm looking forward to our fight."

"Likewise." He glanced at the announcer, insisting with his eyes that he signal the beginning of the match. When he gave it and quickly ran from the ring, Chun Li rushed toward Ranma and kicked at his legs. Ranma, however dodged and nimbly leapt away.

Chun Li charged him again, this time leaping and kicking down at him. She followed up with a volley of swift and powerful kicks, which Ranma continued to dodge. "Are you going to fight me or are you just going to keep jumping around?"

"Well maybe if you were a little faster I'd have more incentive." He retorted after taking a nonchalant stance. "Jeez this is ridiculous how they have me fightin' a girl in my first bout."

"Ridiculous?" Chun Li's expression darkened. "It is a fool that makes assumptions about his opponent."

The boy dodged yet another of her attacks, this time jumping and clinging onto the fence. "No need for assumptions here!" He called and stuck out his tongue a little.

"Hey, Saotome! Quit tryin' to razz her on and fight already!" Diro called from the sidelines.

"Boy, don't keep running away! Get in the fight!" The elder Saotome yelled and threw the bucket of water at him. "Maybe if you were a girl you'd be more inclined to fight!"

"Pop! No!" He tried to leap away from the bucket when it hit the back of his head and the cold water spilled over him. He hunched over, trying to conceal his body's reaction. The boy considered making a break for the exit, but decided against it. He had nowhere to run, not to mention the match would be forfeit.

Ranma stood up slowly and turned to his friends, water dripping down from his soft face and his red hair. He kept an expressionless face as his entourage stared at him with a dumbfounded look.

"Ranma, you're…" Diro began.

"A woman?" Sakura asked, overcome with confusion. She looked around at the others who had similar expressions. Half of the crowd had gone mostly silent as well, although jeers continued rain down from those in the back.

Chun Li stood a few paces away from her opponent, as awestruck as the spectators. "What is this? What has happened to you?"

Girl-type Ranma sighed heavily and glanced at her opponent. "It's a long story." She said. "One that I don't feel like telling right now. I'm outta here, the match is yours." She turned around and walked out of the arena, giving a simple hand wave as means of dismissal.

Sailor Mercury watched s she walked away, the impact of this latest revelation resounding deep within her. She clenched the bow in front of her chest as she felt her heart sink. Her eyes welled up with tears as she felt some hidden sadness existing within her crush. Her throat clenched and she whispered, "Ranma-kun."


	9. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 9

Diro stood outside of the men's locker room and stared at Ranma, still in female form, in a state of confusion and hesitation. The boy had seen strange things before, especially since his arrival in Japan, but this was too much for his system. More than that, he sensed an over whelming wave of sadness emanating from his friend. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to say something, but what? What could he possibly say that would comfort his friend, or at least show her that nothing had changed between them?

He was no good at this, he decided. Emotional confrontations were never his strong suit. He didn't even know what to do in potentially positive situations. Rei and Minako had been all too obvious with their respective feelings. He knew that they had some sort of emotional ties with him, but he never knew what to say or do about it. He chose to act as though everything was normal and ignored all indications that they cared for him, but he couldn't deny the situation. As much as he dreaded the idea, sooner or later he would have to address their feelings and his own. But Ranma's problem was more immediate.

Diro's head swam as he thought back to that transformation. He wanted to know how it happened. The last thing he saw was Ranma fighting Chun Li as a male, and then he got hit in the head with a bucket and became a female. Why was that? Was that some sort of magic bucket? No, of course not, that was a stupid idea. But then, what was it? He needed to find out, but he wasn't making any progress just standing around and staring at his friend's…generous figure.

Hesitantly, he approached her. His steps were as silent as the most strictly trained ninja and he stopped just behind her. Neither of them moved or said anything for several moments until Ranma finally stirred. "Don't you want to ask me?"

"I don't really know what to ask."

"And I don't really know what to tell you." She turned around to face him. "This is me now. When I'm splashed with cold water, my body becomes this." She gestured to her breasts. "And when I'm splashed with hot water, I go back to normal."

"How? Since when?" Diro demanded. "Ranma, I just don't know what's going on here!"

"You think I do?!" Ranma returned. "It's some stupid ancient Chinese curse! I fell in a cursed pond and this happened!" She then said more quietly, "I was hoping to hide that fact this time."

Diro leant against a locker and slid down to the floor. He looked at Ranma, studying her face and feminine body. "Sorry. I dunno what to think or say or anything."

"I was like that at first." Ranma said with a wan smile. "It still kinda gets to me. I mean, I'm still looking for a cure, but I can deal with it for now."

He nodded and kept silent for a few moments before speaking again. "I guess I can see why you might wanna hide it too. Were you embarrassed?"

She scoffed a little and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Of course I was. I'm embarrassed every time this happens. You couldn't imagine what it's like, Di. I was raised to be manly, and now I'm half woman!"

"Well, despite this new, ah, turn of events, I don't see a reason why anything should be different. I mean, you 'n me are still buds right?"

She looked up with a perplexed expression. "You mean, you still want to hang out with me?"

"Yeah." He said. "Y'know, Usagi would say that something like this doesn't really change who you are. So you're cursed, big deal. So am I, y'know? So's the rest of the goddamn world when you think about it. That doesn't change a thing."

She made a slight squeak which Diro took as a chuckle, or maybe even a giggle, who could tell? She then stood up and pulled her friend to his feet by his hair. "Don't you have a match to get ready for, 'buddy?'"

"Ah! Hey knock it off!" He pulled away and rubbed his head.

"Don't be such a weakling, Di." She turned him around and pushed him out the door. "I'm gonna clean up before your match. See you in a few."

Diro let out a sigh of relief. He allowed his friend to push him into the hallway and smiled slightly when the door slammed behind him. It would appear as though Ranma was back to his old self again, or at least would be shortly. He started to walk back to the ring when he saw a familiar blue-haired girl peeking around the corner.

"Hey, Mercury, is that you?" He asked.

She stepped around the corner and flashed him a shy look. "I was worried about Ran—er, Saotome-san. Is he alright?"

He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Yeah don't worry about that jerk. I swear to God, a house could fall on his head and you'd never know it. He'll be fine."

She heaved a sigh of relief. "Yokatta (what a relief)! I was so worried and confused when I saw what happened."

"You don't seem too shocked about it."

She giggled slightly. "Well, in my line of work you see a lot of strange things. I've become accustomed to it."

"Why are you the only one of the others who came to check up on Ranma? Do you like him or something?"

"No!" She blurted out in defense, then blushed and covered her mouth. "Maybe a little."

Diro stroked his chin. "Uh huh. Well if that's what you want, I gotta tell ya, you've got some competition. I dunno how he does it, but Saotome's got a ton of girls chasing after him. Including this one girl I know, Ami. He doesn't seem like her type at all, but I guess opposites can attract." Her blush deepened. "Anyway, I gotta go. I can't leave the audience waiting, y'know?"

Sailor Mercury nodded, keeping her eyes averted almost shamefully. He was right. Ranma Saotome truly wasn't her type. Normally, she preferred very intelligent guys with actual goals as opposed to a handsome brawler. But on the other hand, Ranma was very brave and despite his apparent lazy nature, he honestly tries his best to be a great fighter. Maybe that was confusing her, but ever since she first met Usagi, the girl had learned to listen to her feelings. And right now, her heart was screaming for Ranma.

She waited until Diro turned the corner, and swallowed a lump in her throat before making her decision. She looked around, making absolutely certain no one was around and there were no security cameras spying on her before she transformed back to normal.

The girl waited outside the locker room for a few minutes, tapping her chin in anxiety. She felt her heart leap into her throat when the door opened and Ranma stepped out. She couldn't help but stare at him. He had obviously reverted back to his original state, and it looked like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Her face grew hot and her eyes fixated on his body. His confident walk, his easy-going, non-chalant style; the moment was perfect. That is, it would have been perfect if he had noticed her.

Ami's heart sunk from her throat to her stomach as Ranma walked past her. She had hoped he would notice her and recognize her, and then they could talk. But he didn't recognize her. Hell, he didn't even know her at all! "Sao-" She tried to call out to him, but he didn't hear. "-tome-san." Her voice trailed off in disappointment. Maybe the others were right. Maybe she really didn't have a chance.

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"Ladies and gentlemen!" The ring announcer addressed the crowd once again. "We have a very special treat for you tonight! Two fighters who have studied the same style! One, a newcomer to the ring, but no stranger to the sport, Diro Kotaishi!" He gestured to Diro, who in turn waved to the cheering audience, giving special notice to his friends in the crowd. "And the other, a true master, the heir to Bushin Ninjitsu, Guy!"

The crowd cheered with exuberance. The idea of a battle between master and pupil seemed to thrill them. "We will begin this match as soon as our medical staff removes the remains of our previous battle!" All heads turned to the staff attending to the unconscious body of Dan Hibiki. His pink gi was ripped only slightly more than his flesh and soaked with blood. The attendants loaded his body onto a stretcher and quickly carried him away. "Let's hear it again for our previous winner, Vega!"

The masked fighter ignored the audience's clamor and stared at Diro. His blood-red eyes locking onto the boy's own dull brown ones. Diro clenched his fists and gritted hi teeth as Vega flung his long braid over his shoulder and walked away. Their brief exchange had the desired result; Diro knew he had to win. Somehow, he would have to defeat the greatest Bushin ninja of his time.

"Fighters take you stances! Hajime!"

Guy wasted no time in testing the boy's strength. He immediately rushed toward him and nimbly hooked his arm, holding him up from behind. He lifted the boy up and suplexed him hard. The Bushin heir leapt back and rushed forward again before the disturbed sand of the arena settled. He grabbed Diro in a headlock and ran up the fence, driving the boy face-first into the ground.

"If you truly were trained by Kotaishi Kunio, you ought to be able to do better than that." He said, putting a little distance between himself and his opponent.

"Much better." Diro assured him. "You just caught me off guard. But at least now I know what you can do."

"Impressed?" Guy asked.

"A little." The boy admitted. "I should expect as much from Bushin style's greatest ninja. Y'know, I've actually been looking forward to this."

"As have I, little Kotaishi. I've heard a lot about your grandfather. I'm sorry I never got to meet him."

"So you know I have to win this fight." Diro took his stance. "But don't hold back!" He roared and ran toward Guy and performed a kubikari, skimming just above the ground as he shot a kick straight from his side. The boy delivered a volley of punches until he broke through Guy's defense and planted a foot on his chest, launching himself upward to kick his opponent with both feet.

As Guy stumbled back, Diro jumped back and clung to the chain fence. He waited for his opponent to run toward him before springing off the fence to perform a midair Bushin izuna drop. Guy leapt up and allowed himself to be grabbed, he then reversed their descent, wrapping his legs around Diro's neck and driving his shoulders into the ground.

"Don't forget, Kotaishi. I know all your moves." He said and tossed Diro up by his gi top and kicked him to the side. "And I trust you know all of mine?"

The boy stirred and struggled to his feet. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "I should hope so. But that's kinda boring. Why don't you try showing me something new?"

Guy smirked. "Okay, you asked for it." He dashed toward Diro and grabbed his gi so fast the boy had no time to defend. "I call this the Bushin Musou Renge."

Diro couldn't even see the dozen ki-powered blows that landed in less than a second. The only thing he felt was pain, dizziness, and an odd sense of euphoria before Guy finished him off with a strong side kick to the ribs, sending him crashing into the fence.

"Holy shit what a move!" The announcer mistakenly breathed into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, that was absolutely amazing! I don't think anyone could withstand such an attack! I didn't even see half of those punches! It would appear as though we have a winner for our fourth match!"

"Wait!" Diro choked out. He slowly lifted his face, as those nearest him cringed at its current bruised and swollen state. "I can still fight."

The boy wrapped his fingers around the fence and pulled himself up. He then doubled over in pain as he felt something in his side snap. He screamed and fell back down, choking on the sand coating the arena floor.

"Diro! Diro let it go!" An urgent voice called out from behind him. "Not even I would go on after that!"

"Ken?" He shook violently and spun around to face his old friend. "I can't give up." He pulled himself up to crawl, swallowing the pain of his fractured ribs. "If I can win this match, I'll fight Vega next. And then…"

Ken looked into the boy's visible right eye. By some odd trick of the light, it seemed to emit a strange white glow. He sensed Diro's fighting spirit would not allow him to quit. He felt a need to go on, greater a need even than that to breathe. "Fine. If you must win, then use my technique."

It took the boy a moment to realize what Ken was talking about. He nodded and limped back to the center of the ring. "Guy! You don't know all my moves!" He took a different stance, inhaling sharply as he did so. "Let's do it one more time."

Guy didn't even wait for Diro to finish. He took off running and jumped high in the air, preparing for another izuna. Diro waited until he was almost on top of him and shouted, "Shinryuken!" An explosive column of fire trailed his ascent in the air, igniting both bodies when his fist caught Guy's chest.

Both fighters landed hard on the ground and the flames engulfing them slowly died down. The audience watched them intently in an awestruck hush. Finally, Diro screamed in pain and rolled over on his side, emptying the contents of his stomach.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! In a stunning turn of events, the pupil of Bushin Ninjitsu, Diro, defeated the heir to the very same style apparently using a variation of Shotokan's rising dragon!"

"Diro!" Sailor Mars screamed and scrambled over the fence, immediately followed by Venus. The two rushed to his side and fawned over him, however every time one of them touched any part of his body, he moaned and convulsed. The senshi were gently pushed aside by the attending medical staff.

The ring announcer scratched his head. "It would seem that our young friend's last attack took more out of him than expected. We will be taking a short intermission to prepare the ring for the next match, at which time I will inform you of Kotaishi-san's condition." A staff member whispered something to him that evoked an exasperated look. "Oh very well, if I must. Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby, to get ourselves some snacks."

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Kasugano Sakura waited outside sickbay with the rest of Diro's friends. That last battle had excited her like never before. It made her want to fight him even more. Especially since Ryu was now out of the tournament, she prayed Diro would recover and give her a good fight. She craved it. She needed it.

A medical assistant stepped out of the room and motioned them to enter. She followed the others' lead and walked in. The room itself was pretty sparse. It resembled the nurse's office at school more than anything else. She had to wonder how they were able to treat anyone in such a small area with so little equipment.

"Your friend's last fight took a lot out of him." The nurse said to them. "Among multiple bruises, he seems to have suffered three fractured ribs. It seems that he also somehow received a third-degree burn down his right arm. How on earth that happened, I've no idea." She tucked an errant strand of her deep red hair behind her ear and looked at the group quizzically.

"I'd like to know how that happened, too." Sailor Venus said and looked accusingly at Mars.

"What?" Mars insisted. "Do you honestly think I'd do something that might harm Diro-kun?!"

"That was the shinryuken." Diro answered wearily. "A more powerful version of Shotokan's rising dragon."

"A shoto move?!" Sakura demanded. "Where'd you learn that?!"

"I guess that's my fault." Ken answered. "I taught that technique to him about three of four years ago, back when it was unrefined. Instead of an even stream of flames feeding off of the fighter's ki energy, it explodes out from the body, sending him flying upward, and at times causing serious damage to both fighters."

"It's supposed to be used only as a last resort." Diro continued. He winced as the nurse tightened his bandages. "But it's never hurt this bad before!"

Ken shot him a cocky half-smile. "Remind me to show you the new and improved version later."

The nurse spoke up. "Well, whatever it is, I'm afraid Kotaishi-san is far too injured to continue on in the next round. I'll send a notification of forfeit to the announcer right away."

"Don't!" Diro coughed. "Vega's in the round. I gotta get him!"

"The nurse is right, kid." Ken insisted. "I know you want to avenge your gramps, but you can't even move let alone fight! And going up against Vega when you're like that is suicide!"

"The boy will fight." A stern voice announced from the doorway.

The nurse's ears twitched at the sound of the voice. She spun around, with a bright smile she squealed, "Melchy-sama!"

"What the?" Melchior stumbled back as the nurse clung to him. "Blast it, Mizuho! What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I'm here to take care of Kotaishi-san, just like his mother sa-" Melchior quickly cupped his hand around her mouth before she said any more.

"Never mind that." He said. "Don't worry about your condition, Diro. Balthazar will see to your recovery. Once you manage to defeat Vega, we must speak privately. Until then, I have a match of my own." Having said that, he left, dragging the starry eyed nurse with him.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ranma asked with his usual tact.

"Melchior is having a little lady trouble at the moment." Balthazar explained. "I'm sure that's something Diro and yourself can relate to. In any case, this room has gotten somewhat crowded and I'll need plenty of space to attend to our friend's wounds. If you would all kindly give the two of us some time alone?"

Reluctantly, the group filed out of the room, leaving only Mars and Venus behind. Venus approached Diro first and held his good hand. "Hey, Diro-kun. Be careful there, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt again."

Before he could respond, Mars pushed her out the door. As she walked out, she yelled, "Diro if you die on us I swear I'm gonna kill you!"

The boy laid his head back and relaxed a little, although the pain of his ribs impeded that to a great extent. He was very tempted to forfeit as per his friends' requests, but he just couldn't leave the tournament without facing Vega. What if he came after Usagi like he threatened to that night? And what if he didn't stop there and continued to attack each of his friends individually? He had to insure against that at all costs.

"Lie still." Balthazar commanded somewhat sardonically. He removed the boy's bandages and ran his hand over his wounds, feeling for the exact locations of the fractures. He then removed a decorated dagger from its sheath on his belt. He said, "This was given to me by your father. Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you." He added when the boy stirred. "It's purely ritualistic. Diro, I know you don't believe us or trust us, but please keep an open mind. We've been more patient than you can imagine in our attempts to find you, and I have so much to tell you about your family and where you're from." He stopped to calm himself. "All will be made clear very shortly. I do not wish to cause your mind to stray from your battle."

The holy knight placed the dagger's edge in the palm of his left hand and squeezed it until his blood trickled out and spilled on Diro's body. He ran his hand over his wounds, smearing his blood over the boy's fractured bones. Finally, he dipped his middle finger in his bloody palm and traced a runic symbol on the boy's abdomen.

"May my blood be your bond." He said and placed his left hand on the boy's chest. "And may that bond never be broken." The symbol started to glow as did the rest of the knight's blood on Diro's body.

He started to stir and then to writhe. "It-it burns! Jesus, B! What'd you do to me?!"

"That's how you know it's working." Balthazar answered calmly. "My blood and the spell will fuse your bones together and ultimately make them stronger. Your skin will also strengthen, becoming nearly impenetrable."

"Why are you doing this?" Diro asked, flexing his muscles and testing his body's reparations.

"We will speak after your match. All will be made clear then." The knight said and walked out of the room, leaving Diro to focus on his upcoming fight.


	10. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 10

The Bishop waved his hand over a fountain near to him, canceling the spell that allowed him to watch the tournament. He was not pleased with the most current turn of events. And to add to that, the Divine Knights had not reported to him in weeks, forcing him to expend his own energy to follow their progress.

The Three Knights of the Divine. They had more power than they should be allotted. It made them almost impossible to control. Even with all the power at his command, the Bishop could only relay the king's orders. As a mere clergyman, he could do no more. The knights on the other hand were each an avatar of the god they worshipped, and entitled to a fraction of its strength.

If only he had that shard of the crystal given to the king's ancestor, then his abilities would grow as well. In the right hands, that shard could destroy and rebuild this kingdom many times over. With it, he could keep the knights under his thumb. They would never again question his or his majesty's orders.

The old man stared at the fountain a moment longer. His wrinkled eyes narrowed as he peered deep into the heart of the stagnant blue water. With the shard of the millennium crystal, he could control King Valcrist himself. He tried to shake the idea from his mind. To even begin to entertain such ideas was nothing short of heretical. The gods answered to the king. He controlled all light, dark and mana. According to the ancient scripts, if he ever died without a proper successor, the gods would refuse their blessings until a new king were born.

Even so, if the shard were activated, it may just have power enough to make the gods themselves obsolete. If he had the shard the gods would then serve him! The Bishop's heart jumped at the idea. He would be in an unheard of position. He would reign over the entire kingdom, and possibly even kingdoms beyond.

If he were going to do that he would first need to find the shard. That in itself would be a near impossibility. Ever since the time of King Rhamael and the moon-born prince, the location of the shard has been closely tied up within the royal family. Only the king and possibly the young prince's mother would know, and one of them may even reveal that information to the prince himself.

He made a decision. He would have to bring Prince Millian, or Diro as he was known on Earth, to Alundar as soon as possible. However, from his studies, the boy doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know. He would never agree to cross a trans-dimensional rift with him. It would also do him no good to take him across by force. He wouldn't cooperate with him after, considering, that is, he would be able to overpower the boy.

He was too strong to force into anything, thanks in part to Melchior's training. And with the other knights and all of his friends swarming about him, a direct attack from any of his troops would be easily thwarted. He needed someone else. He needed someone who could be alone with the boy and convince him to cross over.

The Bishop peered into the fountain and reactivated his spell. He looked over the many fighters both participating in and watching the tournament. Surely one of these ruffians would be able to talk some sense into the boy. His eyes focused on one particular masked fighter. "Or better yet, beat some sense into him." He grumbled under his breath.

He made up his mind and once again cancelled the spell and began preparations for his transport. He began to draw an encircled runic symbol on the ground around him. Lines began to glow a pale white following his tracings. As he finished, someone behind him politely cleared her throat to get his attention.

The Bishop quickly composed himself, as to not betray his plans. He calmly turned around to face a pretty young girl waiting shyly for his acknowledgement. "Aryne. What is it?"

She averted her eyes slightly and began twirling her shoulder-length pale blue hair around her finger. "My lord King Valcrist has informed me that the Three Knights of the Divine have located my lord Prince Millian at long last."

"This is true." The Bishop assured her. As the only daughter of the High Priestess of the Three Gods, Aryne had often served as a messenger for the royal family. He was used to this kind of polite banter.

"My lord King Valcrist requests that diplomatic steps be taken as soon as possible and his son be brought across the rift."

"I quite agree, my dear. I was just preparing to make such a trip at this very moment."

She started to leave, but decided to ask one more thing. "Holy Father, there have been rumors that once the lost prince returns home; he and I will be joined in union. Is this true?"

"For once, there is truth to gossip." He answered. "Traditionally, the children of the clergy are to wed the children of the royal family. As you know, this is to keep the family closely tied in with the church. However, Prince Millian has been away from his home for most of his life and may not adopt such a tradition."

"If he refuses, what can be done?"

"The prince must be taught responsibility for his people. He must recognize that this is his home and he belongs here." He approached her and took her warm cheek in the palm of his withered hand. "You are a good and faithful child, Aryne. I am quite certain that you will make a wonderful wife and queen. Now go, inform the king that I will do his bidding at once."

The girl curtsied properly and left him to his business. The Bishop felt a small pain of guilt for his scheme, but he knew it was something that must be done. He could not allow the throne to fall under control of a foreign prince. The boy didn't have the proper training for such a responsibility, and his father betrayed his blood-line by mating with a human female. Even if the gods turned their backs to the kingdom, they would forgive his actions for he was justified.

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Sailor Mercury mentally chided herself. She was still a little depressed that Ranma didn't notice her earlier, but she should be concerned about other things. Poor Diro was probably still lying in the medical room in a lot of pain and was expected to fight his greatest enemy in just a few hours. She was definitely concerned about him, there was no doubt about that, but she still couldn't get her head around Ranma. Apparently, not even the wisest of the senshi was immune to the effects of love. Maybe she really did need to take those lessons that Sakura and Makoto mentioned. If she learned how to fight, and could hold her own against Ranma's other would-be fiancées maybe then he'd notice her.

She wondered, would he notice her if she approached him as Sailor Mercury as opposed to Mizuno Ami? She would then make a much more effective fighter as well. Could it possibly work? Well, it was worth a shot anyway.

She shook her head a little to clear out any excess thoughts. She decided to leave Diro's upcoming match in his own hands and not to worry about it. Right now, she wanted to try once more for Saotome Ranma's attention. The senshi walked through the lobby on her way to the auditorium. She carefully eyed some of the fighters that were scattered about in the large room. She had never seen such an ethnically diverse group in her life. Apparently they were all preparing for matches that were to take place later on.

She looked in front of herself just in time to avoid bumping into a rather large sumo wrestler. She blushed as he looked down on her and bowed slightly. Mercury returned his favor before going on her way. She certainly wasn't acting like herself. Usually, she'd be much more mindful of her surroundings.

Turning her eyes to the ground, she accidentally bumped into another fighter. The senshi immediately jumped backed and bowed. "Sumimasen! Sumimasen!"

A busty, blonde wrestler smiled back at her. "It's okay, don't worry about it." She replied. "I'm Nanakawa Mika, but my fans call me Rainbow Mika. What's your name?"

"Um, Sailor Mercury." She answered, slightly hesitant.

The wrestler giggled. "Sailor Mercury? That's kinda a weird name for a street fighter. You look a little out of it. Are you nervous?"

"No, no! It's nothing like that!" She quickly replied and started to back away. "I'm not competing! I was just leaving, so sorry for bumping into you."

"Hey, wait up!" Mika called out. "Um, I'm a little new here so I don't really have much of a following." She flushed a little. "I was hoping you would cheer for me when my match comes up."

Mercury tilted her head slightly to the side. The masked wrestler's request seemed to come entirely out of nowhere and it kind of took her aback. "I don't see why not. But it sounds like you're the one who's nervous."

"I guess I am." She sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. "It's just that this is my first official match and I'm far away from home and all my fans. It'll be a little strange to fight without anyone chanting my name."

Mercury looked at the girl a little more thoroughly. She noticed that she was fidgeting a little and starting to tremble in anxiety. She seemed more than nervous, she seemed afraid. It was obvious that she needed a friend at the moment, which explained her eruption into conversation. Apparently even the street fighters had to deal with pre-performance jitters. "So, why did you decide to compete?" She asked and sat next to her.

"I want to become a famous pro-wrestler!" She replied with enthusiasm. "Just like Zangief! If I compete in the street fighting circuit, maybe people will remember me and I can meet him someday!"

She looked around at all of the assembled fighters again. Many of them were huge, bulging with muscles, and in some cases, weighed down with weapons. "But aren't you afraid? I mean, look at all these guys! Hardcore!"

"I'm terrified." She answered, biting the tip of her thumb. "But this is the best way I can think of to rise to the top. It's my dream and there's no backing out now."

Mercury looked away, glancing at her quickly every now and then. "I get it. You can't just run away, right?" She then looked the wrestler in the eyes and gave her a wide reassuring smile. "Even if the odds are stacked against you, you have to fight to the last!"

"Right!" Mika nodded her head, causing her blonde pigtails to bounce along. She tried to smile and cover up her obvious nervousness. "Hey, um, thanks."

"Sure." Mercury sat back a little. She decided to stay with her for a while. There was something about this girl that reminded her of her own situation.

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"Hey Sakura, do you know who Mel's up against in this round?" Sailor Jupiter asked. She and the others took their seats along the chain link fence separating them from the arena.

Sakura hesitated for a moment. "All I can say is it doesn't look like he stands a chance. He's fighting with Akuma in this round."

"Who's Akuma?"

"The master of the fist." She answered taking a serious tone. "He uses the dark hadou and mastered the style of ansatsuken. They say it's a form of shotokan that was created to kill. Mel's tough, but if he's not careful he won't survive!"

"You're kidding!" Mars demanded. "I've watched Melchior-san and Diro-kun fight at the temple for nearly a month now and I've seen what he can do! Diro could hardly keep up half the time!"

"I've seen it too, but it's still gonna be tough." Sakura insisted. "Akuma's just that strong. I guess that means we'll just have to cheer extra hard for him then!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have another newcomer to the ring!" The announcer addressed the crowd once again. "In this corner, the fighter in black, Melchior!" He waited for the cheering to die down again. "And in the other corner, the master of the fist, Akuma! Fighters please take your stances, and begin!"

As the two fighters stared each other down, the announcer quickly left the ring. Wasting no time on words, Akuma glided toward his opponent and began to attack. He threw a volley of punches and kicks, which Melchior somehow managed to dodge. He then grunted and leapt into the air, twisting his torso he spun in place striking his opponent several times with an extended leg.

Melchior fell to the ground. He then kicked upward, locked his legs around Akuma's torso and slammed his body into the ground. Akuma quickly jumped back into the air and countered with numerous single-handed ki blasts. After muttering a short incantation, shadows engulfed the dark knight's body and he glided through the projectiles. He launched into the air, re-solidifying his body, and delivered a flying uppercut which Akuma managed to avoid.

The master of the fist locked his arm around his opponent. He threw him to the ground and drove his knee into his stomach. Before the knight could even cough up blood, Akuma flipped over him, grabbing his head and tossing him aside.

He popped his neck and slowly walked toward the mangled body. "You have the ability to manipulate the darkness. Impressive, but not nearly enough."

"You should mind your words, warrior." Melchior said, rising to his feet.

He smiled a grim smile as his hoarse laughter echoed within his throat. "Will you be able to control your power? Or will the darkness swallow you completely?"

"Fool." The knight replied, taking a stance and flexing his muscles. "I AM THE DARKNESS!!!"

Shadows billowed out from his body like a thick fog and surrounded the arena. Akuma simply turned his head from side to side as the shadows crept up to him and hid his body from the view of the audience.

"What the hell is this?!" Ranma shouted, trying to peer into the ring. "I can't see after all."

"I dunno." Sakura thought aloud. She looked with intent into the ring, attempting to follow the sounds of the blows and the energy flow with her mind's eye. She glanced at Ranma who was apparently attempting to do the same. He caught her look and gave her a brief nod before returning his attention to the loud sounds of fighting.

A few moments passed silently between the onlookers as the battle apparently continued to rage on. A final grunt could be heard from within the shroud followed by the sound of a bone-crunching attack. "It's over." He said. "And it doesn't look too good."

Just as he finished talking the shroud slowly dissipated. They watched in utter confusion as Akuma walked away from Melchior's unconscious body. "A true warrior must be prepared to unleash the full breadth of his power. You obviously were not ready." He said as he exited the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it would appear as though we have a winner." The announcer said as he poked his head out of the safety of the lobby. In a shaky voice he continued, "Although I don't quite know how it happened, Akuma will advance to the next round!"

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Sailor Mercury giggled at Mika. She was a little ditzy, but with her friends, the senshi was used to dealing with that. "So tell me more about that guy you like." The wrestler prompted.

She blushed again and turned away. She had been talking with Mika about Ranma and her friends for quite a while and had begun to really like the girl. "He's a really good fighter and he actually participated in this competition."

"Really? Did he make it to the next round?"

"Um, no." She answered. "Something happened and he had to throw the match."

"What?!" Mika squealed. "What could possibly be more important than finishing a fight?!"

Mercury thought to herself for a moment. She didn't want to give out Ranma's secret, even if it was revealed to the entire audience. It looked like it was emotionally painful for it to be revealed to his newest friends. "Um…"

"Excuse me, Rainbow Mika-sama?" An official interrupted her. "The last match is over and yours will begin in ten minutes. Please report to the ring immediately."

"Oh no!" Mercury covered her mouth in surprise. "Does that mean I missed Melchior-sama's fight? Did he win?"

The official answered, "No, the winner of that bout was Akuma."

"He was up against Akuma?!" Mika burst. "No wonder he lost! From what I've heard, he's unbeatable!" She glanced over at Mercury's concerned face. "Sorry, but it's strange, Akuma doesn't seem the type of person to participate in a tournament. I wonder what he's doing here." She thought to herself for a second. "And I hope_ I_ don't have to fight him!"

"In any case, I'd better check up on him. I'll be back in time for your match, Mika-san."

"Okay, and remember, Mercury-chan, you promised!" The wrestler called out as the senshi left.

Mercury rushed toward the medical rooms. Surely Melchior would be there after a match. She rounded the corner and saw Ranma standing outside of one of the rooms. She calmed herself and slowly walked up to him. "Um, Saotome-san?"

"Oh, it's you, uh, Mercury right?" He asked. The boy still hadn't gotten to know the senshi very well. He didn't even know the girls in their normal forms so great for that matter.

"I heard that Melchior-sama lost his match. What happened?"

"Wish I could tell ya." He answered simply. "Mel somehow hid the action from the audience. Nobody knows what happened exactly."

"I see." She tapped her chin as she wondered how Melchior could possibly lose. "That Akuma guy must be an amazing fighter."

"He is." Ranma assured her. "I don't know much 'bout the street fighter circuit, but just about any fighter has heard about him at some time or another."

"So he's famous then?"

"Tch, infamous is more like it." He spat. "The guy's as close to pure evil as they come."

"I see." She looked into the room to see Melchior waving off the nurses that tried to attend to his wounds, including that red-headed one that looked amazingly like the teacher of her school's sophomore class. "Um, Saotome-san? May I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what is it?" He answered somewhat indifferently.

"Well, um, your match. Why did you quit?"

He scoffed and looked away. "That? Forget it. I just didn't care. That girl, Chun-whatever didn't stand a chance, it wasn't interesting is all."

"So it wasn't about what happened after, you know, you were hit with the bucket?" She pressed.

Ranma shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk away. "Look it had nothing to do with that, okay? I'm completely over it."

Mercury watched as he left. Perhaps she said something wrong, or maybe too soon. It seemed to her that he really did want to compete, but something stopped him. She would have to work hard to get him to talk to her. Until then, she had to hurry back to her seat; she had a promise to keep after all.

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The masked fighter Vega stood in front of a full length mirror in his private dressing room. Being of noble birth, he was able to "talk" his way into some sense of privacy. This way, he could inspect his beauty unencumbered. That foolish young ninja had no idea of the pain that was coming his way. It was his own fault for striking his face.

That time three years ago when he challenged that pitiful old Kotaishi Kunio. That blasted child of his got in the way and actually managed to lad a punch on Vega's gorgeous face. It was then he decided to kill the old man and scar the boy for life. It was only by dumb luck that his claw didn't destroy the child's eye. That was something the conquistador meant to correct. Rather, instead of merely taking Diro's eye, he would take his life. Then the entire world would know the price of damaging Vega's beauty!

He raised his clawed fist high above his head and brought it down swiftly over the mirror, leaving three long scratches. "It won't be long now." He said to himself while licking his glossed lips.

As he once again became enraptured by his reflection, despite the new scratches on his mirror, a soft light began to glow on the other side of his door. He took no notice of it however until he heard a light knock. He chose to ignore the intrusion for he had given specific instructions to be left alone until it was time for his match, and he knew that to be a long way off. Again he heard knocking, this time louder and more determined.

"What is it?" He barked at the door.

A raspy voice from the other side, which sounded to Vega's keenly tuned ears like the scraping of fingernails on a chalkboard, answered, "I wish to speak with you about your upcoming fight."

"Can you not understand that I desire to be left alone?!" He barked once again. "I've nothing to discuss with you! Leave me in peace!"

"I have information about your opponent of the sort I am certain you will find interesting." The voice insisted.

"That dullard?" Vega scoffed more to himself than to his would-be intruder. "He has never been of interest a day in his life!"

"This time he is. Allow me to enter and we will discuss it further in detail."

The masked fighter thought to himself for a moment before making his way to the door. He held his clawed fist at ready as he turned the knob. At the sight which greeted him, he swiftly and almost elegantly dropped his guard and grabbed a nearby handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth.

Before him stood an old man in loose-fitting purple robes. The sagging skin of his face framed his weary eyes and mouth and drooped about in an unkempt fashion as though it were in fact a thin fabric that had not been ironed since the day it had been sewn. His complexion was so pale that he seemed to glow a bluish hue. His arms, the only other part of his body uncovered, seemed to grow out of his robes like gnarled branches. He was a sight that hurt the conquistador's eyes to behold.

"Madre Dios!" Vega turned away in disgust and raised a hand to shield his vision.

"I presume you are disturbed by my appearance?" The old man asked. "Well rest assured that I find your company less than pleasant as well. But I have business to conduct with you, so you must tolerate my presence for the time being."

"Repulsive old man! State your business and be gone!"

The old man smiled to himself, his wrinkles widened making his face appear to fracture into a dozen pieces. "About your match. You will fight a young man called Diro Kotaishi, will you not? You should know that he has powerful allies, allies who have prepared him for you."

Vega turned to face his intruder, lowering his hand to look him in the eye. Although the old man was ugly, he resisted the urge to look away. "What about these allies?" He asked. "Tell me old man! Who exactly are you?!"

"My name is of no consequence." He answered. "And of the child's allies, all you need to know is that he has been prepared. One of them has the ability to heal his wounds, and to prevent him from becoming injured further."

"You speak in riddles, old one." Vega returned.

"His body is now impervious to your claw." He answered plainly. "I can rectify this, however, with a simple incantation."

"Save your witchcraft for someone who needs it." The conquistador spat. "You've tried my patience enough, now leave before my claw finds you."

Ignoring his threats, the old man began to chant beneath his breath. Subtly, a soft light began to emit from Vega's clawed fist. He stared at it for a few moments in disbelief as the light died down, leaving a strange insignia in its stead. "That wasn't too painful now was it?" He asked sardonically. "Now all you need to do is, at the right moment, perform one of you finishing techniques. Use the one I believe you call 'Red Impact.'"

Vega stared at his fist and the insignia on the back. He then looked up to see that the old man, whoever he was, had already left. What on Earth he did, he had no idea. Nor did he know the reasoning behind his assistance. He couldn't even tell if half of what that sagging pile of skin said was true, or if it was merely the ramblings of an old fool approaching senility. Nevertheless, if his words held any merit at all, then his battle just may become more interesting than he would dare to hope.


	11. Sailor Moon: Interrupted Ambitions Chap...

Chapter 11

The crowd cheered and applauded loudly as the announcer stepped into the ring. Rainbow Mika swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched him lift the microphone to his mouth. She looked out into the audience but couldn't seem to find Sailor Mercury anywhere. She hoped that she didn't forget about her promise and run off with that Ranma guy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the center of the ring as we begin our next match!" He motioned to his right. "May I present to you the young flower of our sport, Kasugano Sakura!"

Sakura bounded out into the ring wearing her usual sailor-style school uniform. She waved at the audience with a huge smile plastered on her face, mistaking the catcalls for cheering. Her eyes lit up with excitement at someone she recognized at a far corner in the stadium. It was just a glimpse, but she knew she had spotted Ryu among the crowd. This made her all the more determined to win and show him how much she had learned.

The announcer then turned to face Mika, who still hid in the entryway to the lobby. "And to this side," He motioned to his left. "A pro wrestler on the rise, please welcome the busty and beautiful Rainbow Mika!"

She slowly poked her head out of the entryway. The cheers of the audience seemed to give her the encouragement to step into the ring. She breathed slowly and deeply and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Her opponent was a little bit smaller than herself, but she seemed very energetic. It could take a lot of effort to win this match.

"Mika-san!" A voice called from the audience. She lifted her head and looked around her to find a small girl waving her arms above her head. "Mika-san! Do your best, okay?"

The wrestler's face lit up when she recognized Sailor Mercury. Now she knew that she had at least one fan in the crowd. She turned back to the announcer and her opponent with a look of determination. She may have only met Mercury recently, but she considered her a friend and with her support she knew she could win.

Grabbing the announcer's microphone, she addressed the crowd. "Remember my name, everybody! I am Rainbow Mika, future star of the professional wrestling world!" She then turned to her opponent and said, "Prepare yourself Kasugano Sakura, I will defeat you and rise to glory because I believe in my dreams!"

"Um, what are you on?" Sakura asked cynically, inciting an angry, pouting look from Mika.

"Um, Mika-sama, could I have the mike back please?" The announcer insisted and pried it out of the wrestler's fingers. He backed away until he was a few paces from the entryway. "Fighters take your stances! Hajime!"

Sakura dashed toward her opponent to deliver a volley of kicks and punches. The sheer speed and ferocity of her attack caught Mika by surprise and forced her into a corner. She squealed in fear and pain as Sakura's onslaught continued. While she managed to block most of the attacks, Mika felt herself panic and turned her back in a futile attempt to escape.

"What's wrong?" Sakura demanded. "Come on, fight back!"

Mercury yelled from her seat, "Sakura-chan! Go easy on her! She's new at this!"

"Just whose side are you on anyway?" She muttered to the side. "Fine, I'll slow down for you, is that okay?"

A malicious grin crossed Mika's face as her opponent backed off. She pushed into the chain link fence and used its rebound to jump back. With an audible "Oompah!" she thrust her posterior into Sakura's face, causing her to stumble back. She then elbowed her in the stomach and locked her arm around the girl's neck. The wrestler choked her a few times before leaping high into the air and driving her opponents head into the ground.

Sakura jumped back up with a wide smile. Her bright, cheerful eyes shone with excitement. "That's more like it! I was afraid this was gonna be boring!" She straightened her headband and took her stance. "C'mon! Let's do it again!"

Mika gawked at her in disbelief. "How can you be ready to fight so soon after that? That's insane!"

"Yeah, probably." She answered and charged again. She brought her hands together and rammed them into Mika's stomach shouting, "Shouoken!" Mika flew back a few feet and landed hard on the ground. While the wrestler rubbed her sore backside, Sakura brought her hands to her side again, this time keeping them apart. A pale blue light glowed as she focused her ki. She thrust her hands forward and shouted, "Hadouken!"

Mika looked up just in time to see a softball-sized ki blast speeding toward her. When she scrambled to her feet in an attempt to dodge, it struck her in the midsection and forced her against the arena's fence. Her legs wobbled and gave out from beneath her as she struggled to breath.

"Wait!" She choked out as her opponent began to rush toward her. She looked up at her with pleading, tearful eyes. "Please stop! I give up!"

"Give up?" Sakura asked incredulously. "Are you serious?!"

Mika pouted and nodded her head. "I give up. Please, no more!" She coughed and choked back her tears. "It hurts too much. I'll never be a wrestler at this rate."

Sakura walked up to her and offered a hand to help her up. "You're still new at this right? Just keep it up and you'll be better before you know!" She put her arm around her waist and helped her stand. "I'll be expecting a good fight next time, okay?"

The announcer wiped away a tear from beneath his dark sunglasses. "What a touching display of sportsmanship!" He whimpered into the microphone. "Kasugano Sakura will advance to the next round!"

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Nurses tightened the bandages around the dark knight's body. They swarmed over him like insects, only giving fuel to his rage. He couldn't believe that he had been beaten in battle by a mere human, no less. It was unacceptable.

But how was he beaten? The shadows should have choked that fighter. They should have terrified him even as they crept up to his body. They were a magical embodiment of all things dark and evil within his opponent's soul. How could a human be stronger than his own evil?

He took another swat at the nurse nearest him, trying to shoo her away. Just like a fly, the rotund woman stepped away for a moment only to return to her work. These insipid creatures were more persistent than even the bludaria of the kingdom. If he took them with him to be trained as minions, he wouldn't be surprised if they made greater progress.

"It looks like we're done here, Melchior-sama." One of them said to him.

"It's about time." He answered gruffly. "Look what you've done to me! I look like I'm prepared for mummification!"

"You suffered some serious physical trauma." Another of them continued, ignoring his remarks. "Wounds on the torso and limbs, severe burns, and dislocation of your left shoulder."

"You don't have to tell me what I have, I feel it all."

"You just need some rest for now. I'll go and retrieve some pain medicine from the supply room." She replied and left the room, the other nurses following closely behind.

He looked up as a single redhead stayed behind. "Mizuho aren't you going to leave as well?"

She looked up at him and smiled sweetly. "I couldn't just leave you alone, Melchy-sama."

He growled to himself. She had been like this ever since the day before when she accidentally swallowed a love potion meant for one of the prince's girlfriends. "Mizuho, when does that blasted concoction of yours wear off?"

"The potion?" She asked innocently. "It doesn't wear off. It's not really a _love_ potion, actually, it just enhances already existing emotions." She blushed slightly and said, "Melchy-sama, I love you."

The knight looked at her for a few moments in a state of shock. "How long?"

"A long time. She answered. "Ever since I first came to the kingdom as a little girl, I think. The potion helped me to see that."

He scoffed and looked away. An almost pained look crossed his face. "Save yourself a lot of trouble and find an antidote. You know I can't take a wife."

"But why not?" She stood in front of him and forced him to look at her. "Why not Melchy? It's not forbidden!"

"I am a god of evil, Mizuho!" He barked. "There is no room in my heart for such emotions as love."

"Liar." She reached up and kissed him on the lips. "There's always room for love." She giggled. "It's like Jell-O!"

Melchior didn't even groan at her childish joke, he simply stared into her innocent green eyes. "Why are you here?" He asked with a dry voice.

"You mean aside from being with you? Kotaishi-sama's mother sent me."

"The queen? Why?"

"She told me to keep watch on him. I'm supposed to make sure that nothing happens to him and he doesn't cross the rift."

The knight thought for a moment. "The queen ordered you to keep him out of the kingdom?"

She nodded and hugged him around the neck. Resting her head on his chest she said sadly, "She doesn't want him back."

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"And then I kicked her like this!" Sakura jumped around, telling Diro about her previous match. "Oh Di, It was awesome! You should've been there!"

"I probably should've." He answered, telling her exactly what she wanted to hear. In truth, he couldn't have cared any less at the moment. She won her match and wasn't hurt, that was all that mattered. The only reason he let her in the men's locker room in the first place was to find out that much. "Listen Sakura, I hate to kick you out but…"

"But you're fighting Vega in the next round and you really need to focus." She finished for him. "Honestly, you're so single minded these days!" She giggled when he gave her a stern look. "Okay, okay, I'll leave! Me 'n the others will be in the stands cheering you on, but be careful out there."

He ignored her and went back to his warm-ups. His body was still a little sore from his fight against Guy, but with Balthazar's help he made an incredible recovery. Magic, apparently, proved to be a useful talent. He had seen the Sailor Senshi use it on occasion so he wasn't too surprised when the Knights started to use it. But he started to wonder if the two groups were somehow connected.

It was best not to think about it, he decided. If he was going to stand a chance against Vega, he needed to keep his mind in the arena. Even so, what was it that Balthazar said? Something about his skin becoming impenetrable? If that was true, it would definitely give him the upper hand.

Diro shook his head and tried once more to clear his thoughts. It was no use to trust anything that guy said. He and the other Knights never revealed anything about themselves, where they were from or what they wanted. Why should he trust them? What did they want from him? Who was this supposed "father" they said he had? Were they going to tell him after his match? Why?

"Dammit!" He yelled and slammed his fist into a nearby locker, leaving a large dent. This was getting him nowhere. All this thinking about the Divine Knights was going to disrupt his performance. He wished he never met those losers. He wished he were home with Rei and the other girls. He wished he could just live a normal life. He wished…he wished that his grandparents hadn't died.

He collapsed on the ground and shook as a wave of sadness, anger and hatred flooded over him. This was all Vega's fault. That pompous, narcissistic freak ruined everything for him! He killed his grandfather, Kotaishi Kunio, causing his grandmother, Mitsuko, to die of a broken heart soon after. He scarred the boy's face _and_ his life, but he swore to make it right. Before this day was over, he would kill Vega or die trying.

"Would Kotaishi Diro please report to the ring." A voice sounded over the loud speakers placed throughout the lobby and locker rooms. "I repeat, Kotaishi Diro, we are ready for you at the ring."

He stood and tried to compose himself. Looking in a mirror, he saw that his scowling face made his features appear haggard. He nearly mistook his own reflection for that of an old man. It would have been an understandable and forgivable mistake, though. As he saw it, Diro's life had taken a turn for the worst three years ago and had forced him to grow beyond his years, that is, assuming his guess about his age was accurate.

The boy didn't even bother to correct his appearance. He simply walked out of the locker room doors and headed toward the ring entryway. The audience erupted at his entrance. For them, this signified the beginning of the semi-finals. Judging by his and Vega's previous fights, they expected great skill and much more blood.

"Hey, are you sure you wanna go through with this?" The announcer asked him to the side. "Y'know, with your injuries and all."

"Just start the match." Diro replied dryly.

"Okay, okay, just checking!" He raised his hands in defense and backed away. "Boy did his attitude turn sour." He muttered to himself and readied his microphone to address the crowd.

"I hope you all enjoyed the intermission because now it's time for the first match of the first round of our semi-finals!" He raised his hands over his head, milking the audience for more applause. "As I'm sure you remember we had some very action-packed opening bouts that knocked several of our fighters out of the tournament. While this round of semi-finals may be short, I assure you we have plenty of action ahead of us with many more fighters! For now, I'd like you to welcome back two of our greatest competitors yet, Diro and Vega! Fighters please take your stances and begin!"

Diro focused on his opponent, taking little notice of the way the ring announcer was scurrying out of the way. As his eyes narrowed and his body tensed, he had the vague impression that if he stared at him any harder, he might just burn a hole through that stupid little hockey mask Vega always wore. He almost wished he could do just that, but then he wouldn't have the satisfaction of breaking his bones with his bare hands.

"I grow impatient of your stalling, little Kotaishi. Are you going to fight me, or are you one of the many who would prefer to gaze upon my beauty?"

"Bastard." The boy spat and rushed forward. He knew he should be wary of Vega's weapon, but he decided to throw caution to the wind. Maybe if he moved fast enough, he could get around it and take him out before he had a chance to use it. Then he could call it a day and just go home. As much as he would like to win the tournament, too much had happened in too short a time. He needed to process it all, and he had a feeling that the Divine Knights were about to bring even more confusion into his day.

"Too slow!" Vega shouted as he brought his foot up and thrust it into the boy's face. Diro fell back and hit head hard on the ground. He had made his first mistake. He allowed himself to get carried away with his thoughts during the fight. He quickly rolled aside and jumped back up.

He had less than a second to clear his head before Vega took the offensive. The conquistador attacked with an array of spinning back kicks that seemed to be more for show than for power. Diro managed to avoid or block most of them, but he eventually began to lose his balance. His opponent noticed this and swept his legs out from under him.

Vega leapt high into the air and grabbed onto the fence. He took care not to make any noise as he moved out of the boy's line of sight and positioned his body for his attack. He waited patiently as Diro bounded back onto his feet and looked around for a moment, confused. The boy realized exactly what it was his opponent was doing and turned around just in time to see Vega's body diving toward him. Before the boy could step back, he felt the razor sharp claw scrape across his chest.

Some members of the audience gasped as he stumbled backward, while other's cheered Vega's technique and cunning. The boy ignored their reactions and held his wound. It burned as badly as he remembered it from years earlier. He brought his hand up before his face and stared at it with intent, but couldn't see any blood. He patted down his body and looked at his torn gi top.

"No blood!" He said, amazed. "Bal came through for me! It hurts like all hell, but there's no blood!"

"So the old man was right." Vega spoke up. "You truly are impervious to my claw. For now, that is. It's only a matter of time before I plunge it through your chest and rip out your heart!" He shrieked and dashed at the boy.

Diro waited for him to come into range and leapt forward to grab his shoulders and slammed him into the ground. Maintaining his hold on his opponent, the young Bushin jumped up again to repeat the move. Before he could get to his feet, the boy backed up a few paces. He then rushed toward him and delivered a flying side kick, sending Vega crashing into the fence.

He slowly stood and peered at the boy from behind his mask. "You're going to regret that one, little Kotaishi. Of this I assure you."

"Shut up and fight." He replied and approached him yet again. Before he could make a move, Vega bounded up and thrust his knee into the boy's chin. As he stumbled back, the conquistador hooked his claw around his belt and threw him into the air. He carefully judged the boy's descent, and raised his fist high above his head and grinned maliciously as the insignia on the back of his claw began to glow.

Diro's mind swarmed with random thoughts and pictures which were then reduced to a mental white noise as his body fell hard upon the uplifted claw. He couldn't breathe and felt his blood begin to spill from his body. As his mind reduced to an incomprehensible haze, he thought he heard someone shout his name.

"How do you like it, little Kotaishi?" Vega said. With his free hand he removed his mask and forced the boy to look him in the eye as he died. "Red Impact, the move that killed your grandfather. It is all too fitting that you fall the same way."

Diro's body dropped to the ground. His mind was too much in shock to feel the impact of his own fall. He barely even managed to register the sound of someone fighting and the sensation of his head being lifted. In his moment of pain and euphoria, he thought he felt a soft cushion, a body, cradle him. It held him as he convulsed and grew cold. He looked up and tried to focus his vision, in a vain attempt to see one last kind face. He shook violently and heard a girl scream as he let out a final breath and everything went dark.

Author's Notes:

What happened to Diro? Who is holding him? Will he win the fight after all? Will he even survive the night? For answers to these and more, tune in next time. Same bat time. Same bat channel.

Kinda lame, huh? It felt appropriate, get off me. I decided to just upload the remaining chapters this week seeing as how I am going to be extremely busy this college semester. I'm not even kidding about the busyness, but I will try to finish chapter 12 real soon. If I wait too long on that, I am fairly certain one or two of you will form a lynch mob. So, see you soon, hopefully.

The Rockstar Prince of Crossovers


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